Unexpected
by Breea
Summary: A human/vampire relationship could only end in one of three ways: he turned her, she got old and died, or he killed her. None of the three options appealed to him. /Damon sexy
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I read the books back in the day when they were new. Damon was hot then. I had doubts about Ian Somerhalder pulling it off but he's made me fall in love with Damon all over again. The TV show is definitely it's own spin on the books so I thought, what the heck, I'll put MY own spin on it. It's probably not great, but it amuses me. And Damon's hot; that's all I need when I read the stories. *grin***

Chapter 1

"What is this?" Damon asked incredulously, motioning toward the girl Stefan was carrying into the house.

"She was drugged." Elena explained simply, following behind Stefan.

"Hos-pi-tal." Damon stretched the syllables out to emphasize his point. Stefan and Elena ignored him. "Seriously, why here? You know how I feel about strangers."

"She was roofied or something at the party by vampires. She'll be fine when she wakes up, but we needed to take her somewhere safe. You know how safe a hospital is when it comes to vampires." Stefan laid the girl on the couch gently.

"Wait, how do you know they were vampires?" Damon looked suspicious.

"I recognized them from before. The ones that took Stefan." Elena knelt by the girl, putting a hand to the girl's forehead. She stirred but didn't wake up. "I saw them give her the drink but didn't put two and two together until she fell. They were watching her," Elena shivered involuntarily. "Stalking her. It was creepy."

"They were still there when we left. Elena and I are going back to find them before they hurt someone else." Stefan told his brother.

Damon frowned. "Why? Wait- what? You're leaving her here with ME?"

Elena stood. "Yes, I expect you to be good to her. She needs to be in the same condition I left her in, which is alive."

"No, no. I'll go on the vampire hunt, you stay and babysit. You can't do anything against vampires anyway." Damon pointed out, setting down his glass in preparation to leave.

"Elena got a good look at them, she'll be able to help spot them quicker. We just need you to make sure she's safe. That should be easy as I don't suspect that they will come here looking for a fight. They obviously were just going for the easy kill." Stefan looked to the girl at the couch. "She's lucky she's friends with Elena."

"So you know this girl?" Damon looked at Elena. "Who is she?"

Elena started making her way toward the door, the boys following behind her. "Emma Chamblee. She's a few years older than me. She owns the bookstore in town. Her brother went to school with Jenna."

"Wait, Chamblee- that's not a very common last name-" Damon was cut off by a look from Stefan. "Oookay." Damon nodded. "Babysitting duty it is then."

"We'll be back soon. If she wakes up, just try to be...nice, okay?" Elena patted one of Damon's shoulders before heading out the door. Stefan just gave his older brother an intent look before following after his girlfriend.

Damon watched them go a moment, letting himself feel a little jealous that they were the adventurers and he was the house wife. He finally closed the door and wandered back toward the sitting room where the girl was.

He sat across from her, watching her sleep. It would be so easy to kill her right now; he could almost taste her blood on his lips. She certainly was attractive enough to keep his interest for a while but the more he thought about it the more he realized he wouldn't want to drink from a drugged, passed out girl; might as well be drinking from a corpse. Where was the fun in that?

He took a sip from his glass instead and looked at her face closer. He knew the last name and this girl was definitely a relation. The same nose, same cheekbones, probably the same shade brown eyes. This was the sister of Jacob Chamblee. This made her the most interesting thing in his day so far.

She stirred, sighed, then fell back into unconsciousness. Probably just as well. He'd prefer it if she just slept until Elena got back and she could deal with the emotional mess this girl would probably be. He wanted to avoid the drama if at all possible. He picked up the book he'd been perusing before Elena and Stefan's sudden arrival. It was a novel he'd read before but it seemed something that would pass his babysitting time quicker. "Hurry back, kids." He said under his breath, turning a page. "I'm getting hungry."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It felt a little bit like coming up out of the water after a dive into the deep end. It wasn't so much like just waking up to an alarm, she felt she had to struggle and push her way up to the surface of consciousness. She felt relief at waking up then immediately regret as if felt like someone took a sledge hammer to her head. She had started to sit up when she hit consciousness but at the pain she let out an involuntarily moan and sank back onto the couch covering her face with her hands. What the hell had happened?

"I hear those things give you an awful hangover." A male voice said from across the room. She didn't recognize it but she didn't feel alarm. There was no malice in the voice.

Reminding herself to breathe she spread her fingers and slowly opened one eye to see who was speaking. What struck her first was her setting. It was rich and dark, a library or sitting room; a place she had never been in before. There was a monstrous fireplace with a roaring fire that kept the room rather toasty. Her eye finally rested on the man sitting in a chair across the way from her; a book open in his lap and a glass of red wine in his hand. He was watching her intently, his gray eyes piercing even from across the room in the dim light.

Taking a deep breath she grit her teeth and sat up, swinging her legs to the ground. She rested her elbows on her knees and her forehead in her hands, looking at the ground. The light was still a bit much for her headache. "What things?" She managed to ask.

There was a pause of silence. In a normal situation, Emma would have looked up to see what was taking him so long to answer but this situation was far from normal.

"The roofies." He finally replied.

Her head did pop up at that, sending a spike of pain down her neck but she ignored it for the moment. "The what? I had roofies? You gave me roofies?" She was debating on whether or not her feet would hold her weight enough to stand and run when he held up a hand and shook his head.

"Not me." He assured her. It was enough to stop Emma's thoughts of running but she was immediately more wary of this stranger. "I don't need roofies." He added.

She frowned, not sure if he was trying to be funny or just a jerk. "What happened?" She managed to ask without her skull splitting open in pain.

The guy closed the book and sat forward in his chair. "I'm just the babysitter, not the messenger. You'll have to wait for Stefan and Elena for explanations."

"Elena! Is she okay?" At the mention of her friend the fog began to lift a bit from her head. It still hurt like crazy but things were a bit clearer. And it was very clear that she had no memory of much of the night. "Did she get roofied?"

"Just you." The guy replied. "Your lucky night, I guess. Elena was right there the whole time, so don't worry. She caught you when you fell and she and Stefan brought you right back here. Nothing happened."

Emma took a minute to process what he said. She peered at him curiously. "So you've been watching me?"

"Watching OVER you. 'Watching you' seems creepy." He flippantly threw a hand up as he spoke, relaxing back into his chair before taking a sip of wine.

"Where is here? And where are Stefan and Elena?"

"Wow, you are just full of questions tonight, aren't you? I told you they could explain when they get back. I am just the BABYsitter."

It was Emma's turn to sit back, mulling over what the guy said. She tried to remember what she could of the evening. She had been going to a party with Elena, more for Jenna's sake than any one else's. Even though Emma was a few years older than Elena, the two girls had become good friends over the past few years, bonding over similar childhoods and backgrounds. Plus, Jenna and Jake were good friends so Jenna was constantly asking Emma to keep an eye on her new charge. Emma didn't mind so much- Elena was fun to hang out with.

This evening was a party out in a field; a bonfire, high school kegger- pretty typical. Elena had been meaning to introduce Emma to Stefan, her new boyfriend, and they had agreed to all meet up at the party. Emma remembered arriving at the party, intending to only sip on one drink for the night; she wasn't much of a partier. However, after arriving at the field she didn't remember what happened. There was a blank wall blocking her memories up until a few moments ago when she had woken up. That must have been the roofies.

"I need a shower." The words popped out of her mouth before her brain processed what she was going to say. So the subconscious says, so it must be true.

"You need a shower." He repeated, looking at her with curiosity. At her nod he sighed heavily and stood. "Whatever. Follow me."

She stood shakily but determined, followed him to the next room, up some stairs and down a hall way. He opened a door with a flourish and held a hand toward the open door. "Bathroom, complete with shower and towels."

Emma looked down at her clothes then back at him sheepishly. "My clothes are muddy..."

He arched an eyebrow, a dangerous look passing across his face. "Sheesh woman! You are demanding!" He growled. But he couldn't argue, her clothes were very muddy. "Fine. I will find something and throw it in the bathroom without peeking."

"Thank you." Emma replied. She had a feeling that anything more might provoke wrath so she scurried into the bathroom and shut the door, leaning on it to catch her breath. What a strange night.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

A shower. Really. And now clothes. What was he, her manservent? He didn't want to be her babysitter, much less her slave but she hadn't asked for anything extravagant so he was exercising some restrain. That wasn't like him. He must be getting soft living with Stefan.

There were no woman's clothes in the closets in the guest rooms. He knew he didn't have any in his room and he was pretty positive Stefan wouldn't either. That left man's clothes. Well, at least they were clean. He grabbed some shorts and a t-shirt that he never wore and walked back to the bathroom. He could hear the shower running so he cracked the door, tossed the clothes in, and headed back toward the sitting room.

Her eyes had been more green than brown; that had surprised him. She had looked at him with intensity behind the pain and she hadn't been scared of him. She was taking everything in stride pretty well, to be honest. The shower had been an unexpected request but understandable. Emma Chamblee seemed to be full of surprises for him this evening.

He headed toward the front door, opening it and looking across the front yard. Everything was quiet; nothing stirred. That was good and bad. Good because nothing was coming after her and into his house, bad because it also meant Stefan and Elena weren't back yet.

He reached into his pocket for his phone and dialed his brother. No answer. Great. He shook his head and closed the door. He supposed that meant he was going to be answering a few questions. At least he had a few moments to get some lies straight in his head.

Damon sat back on the chair he'd been in earlier and opened his book, pretending to read it. He could hear her from this far if he tuned her in; the water had just shut off and she was stepping out of the tub. He tried to turn his mind from the mental picture that created but decided he enjoyed it too much so he let his mind rest on it for a few moments with a wicked smile.

A few minutes later he heard her bare feet on the stairs, heading back his direction. 'Here we go,' he thought, looking up just as she came in as though he hadn't heard her before.

"All better?" He asked, blinking a few times. It was amazing how good a girl can look in a man's clothes. No, the clothes themselves weren't sexy, but seeing her in his shorts and shirt was a huge turn on he hadn't expected. He cleared his throat and shook his head to clear it. "You look better." He added.

She was pulling her wet hair back into a pony tail that ended up hanging loosely on her neck. She sat back on the couch where she had been before and replied with a quiet, "Thank you." He hadn't been expecting quiet.

"I feel better." She finally added after studying him a bit. "Thanks for the clothes. They're yours?"

He nodded his response. She smiled. Damon squinted, wondering why her smile had an effect on him. He wanted to make her smile again. "It's all we had." He was suddenly at a loss for witty words. That wasn't like him.

"This is kind of crazy," she chuckled, smiling at him again. "But I don't even know your name. Who are you?"

It was his turn to smile. "Damon. Salvatore. Stefan's-"

"Brother." They said at the same time. He nodded once.

"I remember Elena telling me about you. She said Stefan had an older brother. She also said I would probably never meet him."

"Just goes to show; never say never." Damon smirked. "I'm surprised Elena mentioned me. I'm not her favorite."

"She told me you were 'misunderstood.' You and Stefan don't get along but you're brothers so she cares about you. That's about the extent of what she's said." Emma explained.

Damon paused. That was kind of Elena to put it that way. Things were actually way more complicated than that, but it sounded like Elena was open to giving him a chance. Actually, this moment felt like that chance, a chance to show that he wasn't all evil. He had killed indiscriminately in the past but he was trying hard to move on from that part of his life. He had started to like being around his broody brother and his tragic girlfriend; they made life so much more interesting than just playing with his food before killing it. He wanted to prove that he wasn't just a monster; and here, Elena was giving him that chance.

"My brother and I have been...estranged. We've recently started to reconcile, but it's a slow process." Damon admitted. "Elena was being generous."

"Sounds like Elena." Emma grinned, nodding her agreement. They lapsed into silence, she staring into the fire and he staring at her. It wasn't uncomfortable but Damon found many words in his head he wasn't sure he wanted to speak to her.

"Elena said your name was Emma Chamblee." Damon was surprised to hear his own voice. However, she smiled at him and nodded and he found her smile compelling yet again. He stood and walked over the couch, sitting next to her. "You own the bookstore in town?"

She nodded again, her eyes turning sad for an instant before looking at the floor. "Given to us. From my parents."

Damon was curious about the hidden meaning but picked up on a different word instead. "Us?"

She looked back into his eyes. If his heart had been beating, it would have stopped. As it was, his breath caught. What was wrong with him, he felt like a freakin romance novel gone bad.

"My brother and I. Our parents gave it to us. We moved back here to run it together. We moved into their old house. It's kind of quiet but peaceful. So far it hasn't been too bad." She looked back at her fingers twisting in her lap.

He had a sudden thought that turned into an uncontrollable urge. He put a gentle finger under her chin and tipped her head toward his. He didn't know if he wanted to sleep with her or kill her but she was in danger being here with him. There was something about her he was drawn to and it was going to lead to her demise if he didn't stop it.

In a quiet yet firm voice, he forced his eyes to compel her as he spoke. "You are scared of me. You need to go hide in the bathroom, right now." It was the best he could do on short notice. He couldn't let her leave the house but he couldn't stay near her, either. He was afraid by his sudden lack of self control.

Her eyes didn't dilate; she squinted at him in confusion. "What? I'm not scared of you, why would I hide?"

Caught off guard he chuckled humorlessly. "Sorry, bad joke." His eyes fell to her necklace. He hadn't noticed it before but it was a locket. His finger dropped from her chin to the locket. "Very pretty." He murmured. "Where did you get it?"

"My brother." She replied. She was still giving him a confused look."He gave it to me a year ago."

"What's in it?" Damon asked, turning it over in his hand. She shrugged.

"He said the clasp was broken but it was better that way. He told me it had been mom's and I should always wear it. It keeps her close..." She trailed away when she realized she had shared more than she intended. "It's pretty, anyway. It matches everything."

Vervain. That would make sense; it came from her brother when they moved back to Mystic Falls. Her brother was certainly in on the secrets of the Salvatore brothers. Apparently he hadn't shared the secrets with his little sister or their conversation would be going in a different direction.

"Your brother is Jake?" Damon found talking to be distracting from his earlier thoughts about her. He moved back to his chair away from her; better safe than sorry.

She blinked at the mention of her brother's name. "You know him?"

Damon smiled. "You could say that. He and Stefan and I go back."

She blinked again, this time with a little shake of her head. "That's weird, he never mentioned any friends with the last name Salvatore."

"There was a time in college when you didn't see much of him, if I recall." Damon pointed out. She nodded thoughtfully. "And after we parted ways, it wasn't on the... best of terms. We WERE friends; we parted less than so."

"You went to college together." She surmised. He could see the little wheels in her head spinning as she tried to piece together memories from the past with what he was saying now. "Those two years at Bradford when he only came home at Christmas and Easter. We hardly knew him, much less saw him."

"Bradford." Damon repeated the name with a hint of pleasure in his voice. Oh, the good times he had at Bradford.

Stefan and Damon had gone to the college together. It was one of the few sets of years the brothers had spent together. Stefan had been trying to get Damon to live a 'normal' life. Damon always told Stefan he wasn't going along with it but Stefan always insisted. Damon could never figure out why Stefan was a glutton for disappointment.

However, Bradford had been fun. Damon was having a good time with the coeds and even made a few human friends in a dorm. He sated his hunger on the homeless in the area, which made for bad blood between him and Stefan when Stefan found out, but the time spent at the college had mostly good memories.

It had ended badly, though. Jake Chamblee was one of the good friends Stefan and Damon had made. He was practically a third brother to the two vampires, and eventually was told the secret. Jake played it cool, kept his head, and even the friendship. He was the first human friend Damon had ever had. Hell, the only one.

But then there was that night. Approaching the end of their second year of school together, Damon was walking home when a scent hit him. It was a girl and she smelled delicious. Not used to controlling his cravings, and not really bothering to want to control them, Damon hunted down the source. He found her and drained her dry. To date he couldn't remember a better meal.

Unfortunately, this slip up had dire consequences. Not only was she a student at Bradford, she had been Jake's girlfriend. It was not the type of thing you just apologized for and moved on. This was a big deal. Even Damon could understand that. So he and Stefan just disappeared from the university. The brothers had split ways also, Stefan so disappointed by Damon's behavior that he hadn't spoke to him again- until they both wound up back in Mystic Falls.

He grabbed Emma's wrist in a rock iron grip as she went to snap her fingers in his face. "Don't."

"Sorry, but I said your name a dozen times. I didn't know if you had fallen asleep or what." She looked down at his hand and he loosened his grip. She looked back at him as she sat back on the couch. "You must have been really reliving some memories."

"Good and bad." He replied, grabbing his glass and taking a sizable gulp. Jake knew all the tricks and secrets about vampires and how to protect yourself from them. He had done a good thing by giving her vervain in her locket. He was actually glad to hear Jake was protecting his family.

"So what's it like, living with your brother?" Damon asked her, taking a second large gulp from his glass, finishing it off. "Is he still a crazy party guy? I could tell you some stories."

She laughed, a lilting sound that filled the room. It made her eyes light up. He wanted to make her laugh again. "It's hard to think of Jake as a 'crazy party guy.' He's so mellow and responsible now." She shook her head, laughing again. "He's actually great to live with, we're doing really well."

"Job?" He asked politely, standing up to refill his glass from the decanter on the table. He filled another glass with water to bring to her.

"Well, we share responsibility of the store but he's also one of the math teachers at the high school. He loves that job, educating young minds about the logic of mathematics." She giggled, her eyes twinkling as she reached up to take the glass of water from him. "Doesn't sound like the guy you used to hang with at Bradford, does it?"

Damon shook his head and found him sitting on the couch near her. "No, he was more into Friday night happy hour and beer pong at the frat house than math when I knew him."

"Jake and beer pong. Who'da thunk?" She chuckled again before taking a drink of her water. "You should stop over to see him. Maybe you could make amends."

Damon took a swig of his drink. "I don't think amends can be made for what I did." He replied, looking down into his glass.

"What's it like living with YOUR brother?" Emma asked. She probably figured out that a change of subject would be best. He had to work on looking less menacing while brooding.

"Oh, croquet and sunshine every day." Damon replied sarcastically, swirling the liquid in his glass. He finally stopped and looked her in the eye. "Stefan and I don't get along very well. He doesn't like me much. We're very good, though, at tolerating each other to achieve a common goal. Currently, that goal is living in Mystic Falls."

"You seem to have a problem with people not liking you." She pointed out, finishing off her water. "I haven't been able to tell why yet." He looked at her and she shrugged. "You've been nothing but nice to me tonight. You've put up with my questions; heck, I'd even say we've had a decent conversation. You're a little quiet and I can see you being broody, but I wouldn't say that's a reason to not like you. Your personality does not suck." She shook her head. "You must do some terrible things to people to get them to dislike you."

He _had_ been overly talkative with her this evening, especially since it had been his goal to ignore her and let her be Stefan and Elena's problem. He hadn't been NICE per se but he also hadn't been a jerk. She had a point; he did do terrible things to make people not like him.

"I'm in the process of trying to change." He found himself admitting. He blinked, not sure why he just shared that with her. She was looking at him expectantly so he decided to go on. "I have done terrible things in the past. There's no way to reconcile what I've done. So, a few weeks ago, I decided I was going to try and change. To be a better person." He took a drink and leaned back on the couch. "And let me tell you, being a good person is freaking difficult."

Her laugh was small but it made him smile. He liked her laugh, it was soothing to his mind. "All you can do is move forward." She offered. He agreed.

He heard the front door open and the familiar footfalls of Stefan and the dainty footsteps of Elena following him. They entered the sitting room as Damon stood up. He heard Emma stand behind him but he kept his eyes on his brother. "Anything?"

"No." Elena replied, Stefan shaking his head at the same time. "We checked everywhere we could think of and they just vanished." She walked toward Emma, putting and arm around her. "Are you okay?" She asked.

"I'm fine." Emma brushed off Elena's concern. "They? Are you looking for the guy that roofied me? Was there more than one?"

Elena looked from Stefan to Damon, back to Emma. In her hesitation, Damon stepped in. This girl wasn't fragile, she wasn't weak; she didn't need to be babied. "There was a group of them Elena saw. They moved toward you when you fell but she got there first. They went back to find them but apparently... poof."

"I'm glad you're okay." Stefan told her before glaring at his brother. Damon drunk from his glass indifferently.

"Sorry for the lousy introduction. This is Stefan, the guy I've been telling you about." Elena smiled at Stefan before looking back to Emma. "And I think you've met Damon."

"Yea, sorta." Emma replied. Damon could feel her eyes boring into the back of his head but he just kept staring at the fireplace. He was worried Stefan would be able to read him if he looked at her in front of him.

"We should get you home." Stefan said, not taking his eyes off his brother.

"I'll do it. It's late, you can stay here. I'll call when I get home." Elena said, taking Emma by the arm. Stefan nodded his response, giving her a quick hug. "Thanks, Damon." Elena looked at him but he merely took a drink, ignoring her.

"Good night, Damon. Thanks." Emma called over her shoulder and Elena hurried her from the room. He allowed his eyes to slip toward her as she left. A mistake apparently because when his eyes met Stefan's, all he could see was wrath.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"You met WHO?" Emma had never seen Jake this angry before. Angry, sure, but this was pure fury. It scared her. She glanced over at Elena, unsure of what to say. It surprised her to see that Elena wasn't shocked by Jake's outburst. Her expression looked...worried.

Jake turned to Elena. "What were you thinking, taking her to them? That's the last place either of you should be. They're DANGEROUS."

"You know." Elena breathed. Emma thought that was a weird response.

"Know what?" She asked them both. They ignored her.

"Yes I know. And I know that you do, too. I don't want my sister anywhere near them, do you understand?" Jake growled. Emma was seriously confused at this exchange and tired of being ignored. She stepped between the two of them, putting her hands up to each of their chests to separate them.

"What are you two talking about? I feel like the child in the room that's deliberately being left out of the conversation. Please clue me in."

Elena looked at her but didn't speak. She turned back to Jake, as did Emma. "Jake?" Emma asked expectantly.

Jake took a deep breath, obviously trying to relax. He looked down at his sister, pausing before speaking, seeming to try and decide what exactly to say. Finally, he ran a hand through his already disheveled hair and just said it. "Damon and Stefan are vampires."

Elena's jaw dropped. Emma frowned. "What?"

"You heard me." Jake started pacing. "Vampires. Blood sucking monsters."

"That's just a myth, a story. Vampires aren't real." Emma started laughing but stopped when she realized they weren't joking. "They're stories, Jake. They aren't real." She insisted, suddenly wondering if her brother had lost his mind.

"Tell her, Elena." Jake muttered quietly.

Emma looked to Elena who nodded. "It's true."

"What? You're both insane. There is no such thing. Why are you trying to upset me?" Emma was getting angry now. This wasn't a funny joke and she wanted it to stop.

"We're not, Em. Those two are dangerous and you can't be around them. They'll kill you as soon as look at you." Jake stopped pacing and tried to convince her with a look. Emma still wasn't buying it.

Elena glared at Jake. "They aren't like that." She said. "They are vampires but they aren't evil."

"Off your rockers." Emma shook her head, backing away slowly from the two of them. She sat on the closest dining room chair. "You have lost your minds." She looked at the two of them. "Vampires exist on TV being killed by Buffy or in bad teen romance movies, but not in reality. You can't expect me to believe this."

Jake sat in the chair across from her. "First of all, I can't believe you left her with Damon, of all people." This he directed toward Elena. "Secondly," he turned back toward his sister, "these vampires are sly. They befriend you, then they tear your heart out with their bare hands. Don't trust them." He directed the last toward both girls.

"I know Stefan." Elena insisted. "He isn't bad. There's nothing evil about him. And we're working on Damon. He's trying to come around. He spent hours with Emma and didn't touch her."

At Jake's glare Emma decided now would be a good time to chime in. "Vampire or not, he was a perfect gentleman. He kept me company and I felt safe the whole time."

"Did he ever say anything funny to you?" Jake asked. It was a weird question but it brought to mind the moment Damon had told her to be scared of him and hide. She nodded slowly.

"He said it had been a bad joke so I dismissed it, but he told me I was afraid of him and I should hide."

Jake closed his eyes and sat back in the chair. "Thank goodness you wear that necklace all the time." He muttered.

Emma looked down at the necklace as Elena whispered, "vervain." When Emma looked at her she explained. "It keeps you from being compelled. Vampires can tell you what to do, control your actions, unless you have vervain to protect you."

"It's also been in your tea every night I make you." Jake added. "It's tasteless so you'd never know but it keeps you safe. It's like poison to vampires."

Though Emma still wasn't buying the whole vampire thing, she decided to let it slide for the moment. "So you knew that Stefan and Damon were in town?" She asked him.

"No." Jake replied, finally opening his eyes to look at her. "But you never know when one will show up. I always try to be prepared. They are evil bastards."

"Not all of them." Elena said through grit teeth.

"Believe what you want, El. I know them." Jake replied. He stood, making a pointed look at his younger sister. "Whether you believe me or not, those two are NOT allowed in the house. Ever. Do not invite them in. They can only be invited by you or I, otherwise they are locked out. I don't care if you believe me but I don't want them invited in under any circumstances. Understand?"

Emma nodded, promising when Jake made her. The house belonged to both of them so she could respect that wish. It would probably be true if Damon was a vampire or not; her brother was way overprotective.

"I should go." Elena murmured, heading toward the door. Emma moved to walk her out; Jake did not.

"Thanks for everything. I appreciate it, even if Jake doesn't." Emma hugged Elena before she stepped out of the house. "And I still don't believe in vampires."

Elena smiled wistfully. "I know it's crazy sounding, but two of us wouldn't be pulling your chain, Em. It's true, but what your brother says about them being evil isn't. I know them. Damon's got a way to go to change but Stefan is good and we're both trying to help him."

"Well, I believe you about all of it. Except the vampire thing." Emma smiled. "I'm not sure what the joke is, but I just can't believe it."

Elena smiled but didn't say anything. She walked to her car and left with a small wave. Emma shut the door and leaned against it, wondering if the world had gone crazy. Or maybe just she had.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thanks to my reviewers! It's funny how writers crave validation through response. Even when writing drivel. =) Damon + rain = sexy. The end.**

Chapter 5

He saw her sitting there, on the bench. The clouds threatened rain but she didn't seem to notice- or at least she didn't seem to care. A few drops fell as he moved to sit next to her. She didn't seem to see him or the rain. They sat in silence, fat raindrops falling sporadically around them.

"My brother told me you were dangerous." Emma finally said, still not looking at him. Her gaze was distant and far off, turned away from him.

"Is that all he said?" Damon asked quietly, staring at his shoes.

"No." She shook her head, her gaze dropping to the ground.

Silence.

Damon shifted his hands in his coat pockets. It wasn't really chilly but for some reason he suddenly didn't know what to do with his hands. He finally couldn't stand it any more. "What did he say?"

He felt her gaze turn sharply toward him. He didn't return it. He didn't want to see the disgust and anger in her eyes. He wasn't quite sure why her opinion of him mattered so much to him but he knew if she looked at him like the monster he was it would be like a stake to the heart. Literally.

"He was making a bad joke." She replied. He was surprised at the response; so much so that he automatically looked at her. Her eyes were confused, not scared or showing malice. He breathed easier.

"Maybe it wasn't a joke." He gave her a lopsided grin. "What did he say? I won't be offended."

She didn't smile back. Her gaze dropped again; she was suddenly unable to meet his eyes. Her reply was barely a whisper but he heard it clearly. "He said you were a vampire."

Damon's eyes slid closed as he exhaled loudly. Jake didn't pull any punches apparently. "He said to stay away from me." It was more a statement than a question.

The rain began to fall more steadily but still more of a drizzle than actual rain. Neither seemed to notice. She just nodded her response. After another moment of silence she turned to him.

"But it's a joke, right? There is no such thing as vampires so why would he say something like that?" Emma's eyes were pleading with him, not to make it untrue, just to make it make sense.

Damon pressed his lips together, locking her gaze with his. "It is true."

She blinked, staring hard at him. She squinted at him, unbelieving. She began shaking her head. He realized she thought he was in on this sick joke everyone was playing on her. He decided to play it cool, his usual demeanor taking over.

"It's true." He sat back in the bench, draping an arm along the back, behind her. "Stefan and I are vampires. They aren't fairy tales or horror stories, vampires exist. Not exactly like in the movies but we're around." He shrugged, looking at her. "Believe it, or not."

She stared at him for about 30 more seconds. Then she leaned back in the bench as well, looking out over the park. As far as he could tell she was soaking it in, playing it over in her mind, deciding if she was going to believe it. All he had to do was give her time.

"You walk around in the daytime." That was her first argument. Okay.

"I said its not like the movies."

"All vampires can walk around during the day?"

"Some. We have talismans that protect us." He held up his ring, immediately wondering why he would show her something that made him so vulnerable. He was never this open with people he didn't know well. Hell, he was never this open with people he DID know well.

"You're teeth are normal." That was a different one.

"For the moment."

"They change?"

"When they need to." He smirked, turning to look at her. "When I get hungry."

"All you eat is...blood?"

He grinned wickedly again at her hesitation at talking about his diet. "It's all I NEED to eat. But I can eat regular food, it just doesn't do anything for me."

She was quiet a moment. Then, "how does Jake know?"

Damon's smile quickly vanished. That wasn't a story he was ready to get into. "Stefan and I told him. He was fine with it...at first. Then we had our...troubles. But before that we taught him a lot. Jake pretty much knows everything about being a vampire without actually being one. He's smart, you should listen to him."

"He told me not to invite you into the house." Emma murmured.

"Good advice." Damon nodded, agreeing with the statement. "Don't ever invite ANYONE into your house unless you know them really, really well. Even then it's a crap shoot."

They sat for another moment of silence. Emma held her hand up all of a sudden, catching some drops. "It's raining." She said matter-of-factly. Damon gave her a weird look. She must have been really wrapped up in things if she hadn't noticed before now. She looked at him and smiled. Why did her smile always make him feel so un-Damon-like? "I just noticed. It's been raining for a while, hasn't it?"

"Since I sat down."

She smiled again and turned her face up to it. "I like the rain. It doesn't bother me so I don't always notice it happens, especially when it's warm like this."

From vampires to rain. This girl was full of surprises. He wondered if she wasn't a little daffy. The good thing was, she didn't seem scared of him but he wasn't sure if she believed him or not. He supposed, for the moment, it didn't matter.

"I want some hot chocolate. Do you want to come with me?" She asked, standing. She looked down at him expectantly. He stood, taking her hand.

"I'd love to." He replied, grinning back at her.

The following week was a slow blur for Emma. She was busy with the book store as per usual but it was a doubly troubling week since she was simultaneously seeing Damon without her brother finding out she was seeing him. That was more work than she anticipated.

They weren't dating per se but they were hanging out and having a good time. He was definitely pensive and broody but he also had his fun moments. Emma spent most of her time trying to find ways to make him laugh. She loved his laugh, full of mischief and amusement. Vampire or not, he was a lot of fun to be around.

She couldn't dismiss his bad boy appeal. He was smart, sarcastic, arrogant, and stubborn, but she could see the good he tried so hard to disguise. He told her he could turn that part of him, the good part, on and off at will- if he didn't want to feel he just...didn't. He had lived like that for a long part of his life.

She also could tell he was working on changing. It was more than just what he said, it was more about what he did. There were subtle things but she knew he was working hard on his temper and his opinion some times, especially with his brother.

She didn't broach the subject with her brother at all. After the evening he told her about Stefan and Damon being vampires she dropped the subject and he apparently didn't want to delve into it any farther either. They didn't talk as much as they normally did but when they did speak it was typical, everyday conversation, carefully crafted to be about work rather than personal life.

She got home from work late on Saturday. No sooner had she closed the door when there was a knock at it. "I'll get it." She called so her brother wouldn't have to get up and come downstairs. She opened the door and grinned when she saw who was standing there.

"Well, well." She leaned against the door jamb, folding her arms. "What do we have here?"

Damon returned her grin with a crooked one of his own. "Just in the neighborhood. Thought I'd say hi."

"Hi." She replied. She stayed on her side of the threshold, knowing he couldn't cross it. "Quite the risk taker tonight, are we?"

"Jake doesn't scare me." Damon replied, digging his hands into his jeans pockets. He had his bad boy grin on, the one that melted Emma's heart and made his eyes shine just right. She felt her heart skip a beat.

"You know this is the one thing I promised that I would keep." She pointed toward the floor as she spoke. He shrugged carelessly.

"I didn't want to come in. I just wanted to say hi."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Hello. And goodbye. I need sleep now, it's late." Plus he needed to leave before she did invite him in and up to her bedroom.

"No goodnight kiss?" He turned, eying her with a suggestive nod. So he wanted to play that game, huh?

"Sure." She replied brightly, standing straight and just on her side of the doorway. "If you can kiss me, feel free." She smiled sweetly.

He frowned at her, his eyes darkening a bit. "You're mean." He said it in a way that she knew he liked it.

"Goodnight, Damon." She replied moving to shut the door.

"Night," He winked as he turned to go, the door shutting behind him.

"Good dreams tonight," Emma muttered aloud, thinking about how she was going to replay the scene differently in her mind as she fell asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Damon sat in his favorite chair in the sitting room, swirling his glass and staring into the fire. It had been a crazy week. He felt like some witless human teenager, sneaking time with his girlfriend so her dad wouldn't find out about them. It was actually kind of insane if he thought about it too much- he was a grown adult, a vampire for goodness sake. Why did he need to sneak around and hide his relationship?

And that word. Relationship. What was up with that? The only person he had ever loved, beside his brother and father, was Katherine; and that was more of an unhealthy obsession than love. He had to love his brother and father, they were family. This...thing, these feelings he had toward Emma, they were foreign to him. He wondered if they were an indication of love, if he could even feel that emotion as a vampire.

Stefan did. Stefan loved Elena and there was no doubting that. Just looking at the two of them was like looking at a sickeningly sweet Valentine card. It was enough to make one want to vomit. So, if he used that as a case in point, vampires could feel love.

But is that what this was? It had only been a week so he supposed he didn't have to define it quite yet. It was definitely something he wasn't used to however, caring about someone more than himself. He wanted nothing more but to be around her and protect her. He couldn't remember the last time he didn't want to destroy a human, save Elena. This was definitely strange.

Jake was a complication. He wasn't sure what to do about it. Jake wouldn't be happy with either of them when he found out they had been seeing each other against his wishes. Not that he was scared of Jake. Even though Jake knew the secrets, he was helpless against a vampire at full strength- and Damon was at full strength. But he didn't want to fight Jake, he just wanted Jake to understand- he wanted him to realize Damon wasn't going to hurt his little sister.

Though _could_ Jake understand that? Look what Damon had done to his girlfriend back at Bradford. What reason had he given to make anyone think he'd changed? Not a whole lot.

His head hurt. This was too much thinking about something that was way more complicated than it should be. He looked at his watch. Six PM on a Sunday evening. Maybe he could reason with Jake.

Damon stood, finished his glass, then headed for the door. One thing was sure- he was tired of sneaking around and hiding. It was only a week and he was already tired of it. If he was going to do this, he was going to do this right. Taking a deep breath, he stepped out into the night and began running.

"Spaghetti again?" Emma whined from the living room. Jake's favorite food was spaghetti and he made it often. Emma didn't really mind but she was growing tired of it. Jake came to the doorway of the kitchen to stick his tongue out at her before returning to his cooking. "As long as I'm not cooking, I shouldn't complain." She grumbled under her breath, using the remote to silence the TV. She headed for the kitchen.

They just sat down to eat when the doorbell rang. Emma began to rise to answer it but Jake motioned for her to sit. "I'll get it." He disappeared through the door.

Emma had a bad feeling. She hoped Damon wasn't just 'in the neighborhood' again. She and Jake were just getting to a point where they were talking normally; she didn't want to start fighting all over again.

After a few moments of silence, she began to worry. What was taking so long at the door? If it was Damon, maybe they had gotten into an argument. She couldn't hear them, but that didn't mean they hadn't stepped outside, though she was fairly positive Jake wouldn't do that.

Curious, with an ominous feeling in the pit of her stomach, she got up and went toward the front door.

It was wide open and empty.

"Jake?" She called cautiously, walking slowly toward the door. The whole scene was very Halloween 3D and she didn't like it. "Ja-"

She was cut off by someone grabbing her from the side, from the living room doorway. Her mouth was covered and her arms pinned behind her back before she could react. Emma immediately began to struggle but stopped when she felt something cold and sharp at her throat. "No so squirmy now, are ya?" A menacing voice whispered in her ear.

A man she didn't recognize but was immediately afraid of, stepped into her line of sight. In her peripheral vision, she could see Jake similarly held by two men, one with a knife to his throat. "Niiice." The man in front of her drew the word out as a lecherous smile spread on his face. "We chose this neighborhood for it's fancy houses. We were expecting money. We weren't expecting...entertainment."

This wasn't happening. Emma closed her eyes and opened them again, hoping to wake from the nightmare. It didn't work. Reality washed over her like a cold flood of water, chilling her to her bones.

The man holding her dropped her to the ground, holding her arms uncomfortably above her head with one hand, the other still covering her mouth. Whoever held the blade to her throat removed it but she knew that wouldn't be for long. A noise from her brother got her attention. She looked up then followed his gaze to the open front door; to where Damon was standing in the doorway.

She had never seen a scarier sight than Damon Salvatore at that moment. Fury danced in his eyes and his muscles were tensed, ready to pounce, tear, shred anything in his way. She had never witness his transformation into a vampire- if she hadn't believed it before, she believed it now. The only problem was, he couldn't get in the door.

The men followed her gaze and laughed at a single, unarmed man, staring at them, unmoving. That was their mistake, the one that lead to their downfall- underestimating one man. Because he wasn't a just a man.

Emma knew all it would take was a word or a motion. She couldn't find her voice in her terror so she motioned him in the best she could with her bound hands. It was all he needed.

She had to be honest, she closed her eyes for much of it. He moved in a blur, so fast she didn't see him. One second her hands were held, the next she was free. She kicked the man closest to her in the face to knock him off balance. She saw Jake stomp on a foot while the blur that was Damon snapped the neck of the other man holding her brother. That was more than she wanted to see. She grabbed Jake's hand and they raced to the kitchen to wait for Damon to finish. Neither one had a doubt he wouldn't leave survivors.

They sat on the kitchen floor, listen to the mayhem and dying shouts of the men. They breathed heavily, holding hands, unable to speak or really move. The situation had been scary- they nearly lost their lives. They had been saved, but in a way, that had been horrific as well. Emma knew she'd never want a vampire for an enemy, that was certain.

"Sorry." She finally whispered. The chaos in the other room was dying down. Damon must be finishing.

"Sorry?" Jake looked at her with confusion.

"I broke my promise." She felt tears filling her eyes. She wasn't sure why that particular thing was going to make her cry but she felt the wave of emotion coming to the surface and she was powerless to stop it. She sobbed into her brother's shoulder while he comforted her best he could. When she stopped, he tipped her chin up to make her look at him.

"It's okay. That was the best reason to break your promise, ever. It saved our lives." Jake smiled assuredly. "You helped save us."

The kitchen door opened. Damon's shirt had blood stains on it, mostly hidden by the dark color. He'd had enough sense to clean off his face; he looked fairly normal. "You both okay?" He asked, his eyes not leaving Emma's tear stained face. She nodded.

"Are _they_?" Jake asked, attempting to look out the kitchen door.

"No." Was the simple reply. Jake just nodded. He looked as if he wanted to say more but was biting his tongue. Sirens sounded in the distance.

"What are we going to say?" Emma realized the neighbors had heard the screaming. If there was carnage in their living room, she wasn't quite sure how they were going to explain it.

"Leave it to me." Damon held up a hand. "Stay here, I'll be back when the coast is clear."

Jake looked as though he wanted to argue but after glancing at his sister he simply nodded. Damon disappeared, leaving the kitchen in silence again.

After a while of hearing lowered, indiscernible voices coming from the foyer, Jake sighed loudly and looked over at her. "What was he doing here?"

Emma didn't need to ask him to clarify. She knew what he meant. "I don't know." She answered honestly. They hadn't planned on meeting up tonight; she had no clue why he was at her door this evening.

"He's been here before?"

Emma drew her knees up, wrapping her arms around them. "You saw. He couldn't come in until I invited him."

"Don't be deliberately evasive." Jake frowned. "You know what I mean."

"He might have stopped by. Once." He groaned at her reply. "But I made him leave." She added defensively.

Jake stood and began pacing. That seemed to be his thing; when he was nervous or upset, he paced. Emma watched him carefully. He couldn't be too mad; Damon did just save their lives.

Before the conversation could continue, Damon burst his way through the door. He was alone. "Done. Taken care of." He told them.

"You didn't-" Jake started but Damon cut him off with a look.

"I compelled the officers to report a TV turned up too loud. Then I had them take the bodies into the woods and forget about them. Tomorrow they will stumble across them and report wolves attacked campers in the forest. It's lame, but it will work, for now." He looked over at Emma. "Best I could do on short notice."

Jake was shaking his head, obviously not liking it. But he did say, "thank you."

Damon nodded his acceptance. "Are you two going to be okay tonight? The boarding house has plenty of rooms..."

"Yes-"

"No-"

Jake had been ready to kick Damon out but Emma was afraid to be alone. The incident had her freaked, as it would anyone. Jake sighed loudly again. "I'll pack a bag."

"You'll stay at the boarding house?" Emma asked, surprised.

"I won't like it." Jake replied, running a hand through his hair that was already standing on end. "But yes, for your sake. I think you'll feel...safer there." Jake glared at Damon but the vampire kept his gaze steady on Emma. Jake left without another word, heading upstairs.

"You should get some things." Damon finally told her.

She stood, hesitating at the door. "Is it messy?" She was worried about her parents' living room looking like Texas Chainsaw Massacre had been filmed in it.

Damon smiled flippantly, no humor in his eyes. "I cleaned most of it up. I tried not to be messy."

Emma wasn't sure she was ready to talk any more about what happened so she took a deep breath and went through the door. She walked to the stairs without a side glance in either direction, heading for her room. Her overnight bag was packed quickly and she was out in Jake's car before she had time to process what was going on.

Jake was going to the boarding house, the one place in town he forbid her to go. The one place where the brothers he hated more than anything lived. She suddenly began to worry that this trip was less about her safety and well being than it was about revenge.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thanks for reviewing. :) Long chapter, much drama, enjoy!**

Chapter 7

Damon had smelled danger before he got to the front door. When the scene played out in front of him, he felt rage but beyond that, what scared him, was the sheer panic at seeing Emma being hurt. He couldn't remember the last time he felt panicked about anything. It was immediately followed by angry frustration as he couldn't set a foot in the door, having not been invited in previously.

Somehow, Jake saw him and caught Emma's attention. All it took was that one little motion from her and he was free to spend his wrath on death and destruction. That was something he could do- he was good at it. As he ripped through the evil men in the house he was reminded of all the times he used to do the same thing for pleasure, for the pure heck of it. Now all he could think of was destroying the people that tried to hurt his friend, the one girl he might actually be in love with.

He didn't know when Emma and Jake left and he wasn't sure how long he spent killing the men. He did know when he was through he was disappointed he couldn't hurt them even more. Dead men didn't feel pain. He spat on their corpses before going off to find Emma and Jake.

Taking care of the cops had been easy; most minds were easy to manipulate but on such a power high after such a large feast, it took barely a nudge to get them to do exactly as he wanted. He had been momentarily worried that the sheriff might have her men ingesting vervain regularly, but it seemed he was in the clear. They did as he said and left without an extra word.

He had been ready to stay the night, even against Jake's wishes. He never expected Jake to agree to come to the boarding house. It never crossed his mind to object. He just wanted Emma safe and it seemed Jake did, too.

Now, sitting in the back seat of Jake's car, he mused at how easy it had been to get Jake to agree to come over. He wondered if Jake was just shaken up or if he had other plans in mind. Despite the fact that Damon saved his and his sister's lives tonight there was still an element of hatred coming off the man in Damon's direction. The past might be momentarily forgotten but it wasn't forgiven.

The ride to the boarding house was silent. What was there to say? A random act of violence happened and it happened to them. Things like that happened every day and yet you never think of it happening to someone you know. Damon wondered what would have happened if he hadn't showed up when he had- or if he hadn't showed up at all. Anger flared so he pushed the thought away.

Climbing out of the backseat, he held the passenger side door open for Emma to get out. He took her bag and slung it over his shoulder, leading the way into the building. "Stefan! We have guests!" He called as he walked in the door. He knew Stefan had heard them coming but he still wanted to make the announcement. He needed his brother to know that Jake was in the house.

Stefan appeared in the sitting room when they walked in. He smiled at Emma but the smile froze in place when he saw her brother there too. "Jake." He said, obviously stunned. "This is a surprise."

Damon didn't speak. He dropped Emma's bag by his chair and went to pour himself a drink. Realizing he wasn't hungry he reached for the bourbon instead of the blood and poured a sizable amount into his glass. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Emma slump onto the couch. He poured her typical glass of water and brought it over to her, handing it to her without looking at her. He was trying to keep his eyes on Jake; to figure out what he was up to.

"No explanation?" Stefan finally broke the silence with confused looks directed at each person in turn. "We're just all friends now?"

"I will never be friends with vampires." Jake spat. Stefan frowned. Damon took a step forward.

"A vampire saved your life today. And your sister's. A little gratitude would be nice."

"You murdered five people in my parents' house today-"

"To save your life!"

"Don't pretend you did anything for me."

"Jake..." Emma's warning fell on deaf ears.

"I'm not!" Damon shouted. The guys had been taking steps toward each other and now they were only a foot or so apart. Damon felt like ripping off Jake's head but Jake looked like he would put up a pretty good fight before Damon got his way. "I didn't go in there to save _you_ but I think you made out pretty good on that deal."

"Guys!" Stefan stepped between them, looking back and forth. "Someone needs to tell me what in the hell happened."

Damon could hardly breath his temper was flared so hot. It was all he could do to take deep breaths and keep himself in check. Jake didn't seem to be speaking either.

"We were attacked." He heard Emma stand behind him as she spoke. Stefan turned to her but Jake and Damon kept their gazes locked. "Jake and I. Our house was broken into. They wanted money or something. They were going to hurt us, they had knives..." Her voice trailed off, her mind probably reliving the moment as she told the story. Damon shook his head. He was being a jerk, making her explain and relive the memories. She had been the victim; he should be explaining.

She ended up being stronger than he gave her credit for. To his surprise she kept going. "Damon showed up, just in time. I was able to invite him in. He...took care of them." Damon turned to see her hugging herself, shivering involuntarily. He stepped toward her but then stopped himself. He didn't want her in more trouble with her brother than she already was. Friendship would tick him off but if knew they had been practically dating it would probably set him off again. As much as Damon relished pissing Jake off in that moment he pushed his own needs to the side, as difficult as it was. Instead he shoved his free hand into his pocket and took a big swig from his glass.

"What did you do?" Stefan asked Damon, turning his attention to his younger brother.

"I _saved_ them." Damon couldn't believe he had to defend himself or his actions. "Those men were evil," he pointed with his hand that held his glass in the direction of the Chamblee house. "They were going to do terrible things. They didn't deserve to live."

Stefan stared at him another minute. Damon was about ready to rip his own brother's head off when Stefan nodded, looking to the floor. "I'm sure you did what was best." He said quietly. Damon rolled the words around in his head but didn't detect any hit of sarcasm or disappointment. Stefan was being real.

Damon finished off his glass with a tilt of his head. "If you could let Jake know that, it'd be great." He couldn't hide his own hint of sarcasm as he left the room without looking back.

He went to his room and lay on his bed, his hands folded behind his head. He didn't even bother to take his shoes off. He didn't know why he had expected gratitude from Jake; he had thought humans tended to value their lives and the lives of their families. Just goes to show that stupidity and stubbornness could outdo reason. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to find solace in the fact he had saved Emma and he knew at least she was grateful. He hated to leave her down there with Stefan and Jake but had no way of getting her out of sitting room at the moment. The only thing that set his mind at ease was the strength he had seen in her when he left the room. She was going to need it to deal with her brother.

"Jacob, you're a jerk." Emma folded her arms and sat on the couch. As soon as Damon had left the room she sent dagger glares toward her brother. He had merely returned them.

"You're a liar." He replied in a soft, unemotional tone. She didn't have an immediate come back to that so he continued on. "You've been seeing them behind my back." She saw him look over at Stefan with barely concealed disgust.

"You might be my brother but you don't control me. I might not have mentioned it out of the need to keep drama low but I never lied to you." This was true. Emma had made sure everything she actually said to Jake had been the truth. She hated lying and she was bad at it so she just made sure every word was true and mostly avoided him when at all possible.

"I told you to stay away from them."

Emma was tired of his constant hatred toward her friends. She didn't know the story, no one would tell her the story, and until she heard it she would never understand why her brother felt the need to keep repeating himself. Since he refused to explain she decided she would refuse to comply.

"Why?" She asked, knowing she'd get no answer. Jake looked away from her, pressing his lips together. She looked at Stefan instead. "Why?" She repeated, asking him instead.

"It's not really my place to say-" Stefan began but she cut him off.

"No, really, it is. Because no one will tell me what the hell happened between you three back at Bradford. Something terrible, I get it. But until I know what the story is, it just sounds like a bunch of nonsense, like you're being a bunch of children who can't get over being cut in line. I can't believe there is something so bad that he did back then, that saving our lives can't help relieve a bit of the animosity."

Stefan looked at Jake, who still had his back toward them, then back to Emma. She looked at him expectantly. Sighing, he gave in. "Damon, Jake, and I were really good friends. He knew about us being vampires but he accepted it as part of us, just like a quirky thing I guess."

"My mistake." Jake muttered but didn't offer any more.

"Yea, well, I didn't realize it at the time but Damon was still drinking human blood. He was careful and quiet about it. He kept it mostly to people that wouldn't be missed so no one really noticed any disappearances. But then, I don't know, I guess he lost his cool one night." Stefan took a deep breath and didn't exhale right away. He looked as though he didn't want to say any more.

"So he killed someone he shouldn't have." Emma predicted from the beginning of the story Stefan was telling. Stefan nodded slowly in agreement.

"One evening, no one knows why, he killed a girl. A girl from our college. He's never told me his reasoning behind it. I guess I never asked." Stefan ran a hand through his hair. "It was...it was Jake's girlfriend."

Emma's eyes grew wide. She had figured it had been someone Jake had known but he never mentioned a thing about an ex being murdered, by vampire or otherwise.

The story was indeed horrible. She looked over at her brother. His head was hanging in sadness and though she couldn't see his face she figured he had tears in his eyes. She wanted to comfort him, to hug him, but she knew her touch wouldn't be wanted right now. He was, and always had been, inconsolable.

"We just left. I tried to tell Damon to go to Jake, to explain. But I think...I think Damon was embarrassed or ashamed. I've never known him to be either of those things but there was something weird about his reaction when he found out who she was. Anyway, he disappeared instead. I thought about sticking around but I knew Jake would blame us both. So I just left, too." Stefan stared at the back of Jake's head. "Sorry, Jake. I know it's not a whole lot, but I am sorry."

"You're a vampire. You can't be sorry." Jake's voice was shaky but determined.

He was being unfair. Intellectually, Emma realized it was not fair for him to blame Stefan for what Damon did. Emotionally, however, she understood it. Jake just wanted to lash out at the world for what happened to him, to his girlfriend. It was hard to be rational when someone you loved died. She knew that just as well as he did.

She also knew that Damon had been a bad person, a bad vampire. He had admitted to her many of his past evils. She also knew he was in the process of leaving that person behind. No matter what he had done in his past, he was a different person now. In her mind, she had always compared it to a wolf acting on instinct. Could you blame a wolf for killing a rabbit? It was instinct, survival. Just because it was different, did it mean it was wrong.

Then there was the moral justification. Was murder ever okay? Self defense. Survival. These were all court upheld, justified reasons, for killing. In a way, Damon's actions could be construed in that light, especially since he was trying to change. If he was constantly haunted by his past, always being told he was evil because of what he had done, would there ever be a chance of him moving on?

"Jake," Emma whispered. "You have to let go." There was more to what she said than the actual words but only she and Jake knew what they meant. He turned to her.

"That's unfair." He seethed.

"_You're_ being unfair." She didn't skip a beat.

"He's a murderer." Jake motioned toward the stairs.

"He's not the same person you knew at college."

"You're defending him? Now that you know, you're still defending him?" Jake was incredulous.

"Now that I know, I understand your pain. I do, Jake. I get it." She took a deep breath to calm her next words down. "I also know Damon. And he's not perfect. He has more demons in his closet than most people. But he isn't a _bad_ person. I don't see that."

"He isn't a _person_." Jake pointed out through grit teeth.

"You keep arguing that, but that's all you have. Your only reason for hating him is what he is. Once you know _who_ he is, then you can make up your mind. But until then, you have no right to judge. Your past isn't squeaky clean either."

She saw a muscle in his jaw flinch but he didn't speak. It had been a low blow but she had to say something to snap him out of his broken record arguments. "I'm going to find a room, go to sleep, and leave first thing in the morning." He stated, picking up his bag.

"Up the stairs, second room on the right is empty and ready for use." Stefan offered. Jake grumbled to let him know he heard him and disappeared.

"Sorry, Stefan." Emma felt the need to apologize for her brother's rudeness.

"No, no." Stefan shook his head. "You don't need to apologize. He doesn't either for that matter." He gave her a sad smile. His gaze went toward the door Jake had just left through as his smile faded."We're the ones that need to apologize. That and more."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Damon didn't sleep much. Vampires could sleep, they did sleep, but not often. They didn't need a whole lot of rest. His usual reason for sleeping was to escape something going on he didn't feel like dealing with. That was probably why he fell asleep that evening- he was tired of thinking about the situation.

He woke up feeling rather warm and cozy. He didn't remember getting under the covers but here they were, thrown over him. Snuggled down next to him, he found Emma sleeping soundly. He KNEW she hadn't been there when he'd fallen asleep. He wondered if this was a good sign that things had gone well with Jake. He doubted it but thinking about Jake made his head hurt so he decided to go with it for the moment.

He decided he could use more rest. He laid his head back down, his lips brushing her forehead slightly. Closing his eyes, he breathed in her scent, letting the calm peace she filled him with settle over him. The only word that could describe how he felt in that moment was...content.

Damon noticed the difference in her breathing pattern just before he lulled into sleep. She was waking up. He leaned back a bit to look at her. Sleepy hazel eyes blinked up at him, unfocused. "What time is it?" She mumbled, her voice hoarse from sleeping.

"Time to go back to bed." He crushed her against his chest and rolled sideways to block her view of the clock. She giggled but didn't struggle. They laid in silence for a few moments, Damon concentrating on sound of her heartbeat. It was slow and steady; strong and even. Comforting.

"Stefan told me." She broke the silence suddenly. Damon's muscles tensed. She didn't say it loud, but she couldn't have whispered it and he would have still heard her.

"Told you?" Damon asked, though he was pretty sure he knew what she meant.

"About what happened with Jake," she clarified. Silence again.

"That was-" Damon started. She cut him off.

"A long time ago."

"Yea." That wasn't what he was going to say but he went with it. "I don't have an explanation." He tensed subconsciously, waiting for her to attack or accuse him. There was no way she would just forgive him.

"I know." She whispered. Silence.

He couldn't stand it any longer. "So?" Damon felt her look up at him in the dark. He didn't look down at her. Her breath on his neck was warm but it make the skin tingle. He ignored the feeling.

"So I know. I get it, I understand why Jake doesn't like you." Her voice was matter-of-fact and final. There was no 'but' attached to the end of it. He frowned.

"That's it?" Now he did look down at her. "You know that I killed your brother's girlfriend and all you have to say is 'I get it'?" His voice began to rise with anger. At first he wasn't sure why he was mad.

She sat up in the bed. In the dark he could see her clearly, her brow knit in confusion as she looked down at him. Through his anger, he couldn't focus on anything more. "Why are you mad?"

He chuckled humorlessly, getting up on one elbow and facing her. "Mad? I'm not mad. I'm furious." He felt the look in his eye turn deadly but for her part, Emma's expression didn't change. That just fueled his fire. Luckily for her, she didn't speak.

"I am furious at the fact that you are still here, after everything you know. What's wrong with you? I am a killer, I've killed countless people, including five in your house today. You are not safe with me." He hissed, shoving his face into hers in a threatening manner. He finally saw what he was looking for; a shadow of fear passed through her eyes. But, she didn't back down either.

"Stop." She whispered, her face changing over to her own angry look. "You're being rid-"

"I'm not!" Damon roared, jumping up, throwing a shirt on and heading for the door. What in the hell had been going through his mind the last week? How could he ever be anything different than the monster he had always been? How could he love a girl, a _human_, that deserved a whole lot better than him? There was nothing evil about Emma and all he did was corrupt everything he touched. The memory of what he did to Jake's girlfriend all those years ago reminded him of that. He had been foolish.

He left her in his bed, hoping she'd be frightened or angry enough to leave and find another room. As it was, he would probably just sit on the couch for the rest of the night, lost in his misery. In the sitting room he poured some more bourbon and gulped down the whole glass. It dimmed the anger slightly but not enough for him to relax.

"Why so angry?" Stefan's voice startled him. Damon didn't get surprised often but he'd been so wrapped up in his tantrum that he didn't realize his brother was already in the room.

"Like you care," was his response. Damon's temper tended to make him lash out at any one close by. He knew this; he also didn't care.

"Well, I wouldn't have said anything if I didn't." Stefan pointed out in his maddeningly logical way. Damon wanted to strangle him. He poured himself another drink instead. "Girl trouble?"

Damon glared over his glass at his brother who was actually smiling. That bastard was happy Damon was angry. What kind of twisted game was going on in Stefan's head? Wasn't that usually _his_ job, to be the twisted one?

"Why did you tell her?"

Stefan paused, considering Damon. "She asked." He finally said. It was the truth- Damon thought Stefan was incapable of lying.

"Just as well." Damon huffed, taking a drink. He sank into his chair, some of the fight leaving him as the drink began to kick in and calm him. "Though it didn't work."

"What didn't work?"

"The story. It didn't work." Damon stared into the dying fire, lost in his own head.

"What was it supposed to do? To work I mean?" Stefan asked.

"She's supposed to run away. She's supposed to be scared of me, tell me I'm a monster, and run." Damon took a long drink. "She should anyway, if she's smart."

Stefan shook his head, watching his brother. "She won't."

Damon made a face at him. "Like you know."

"I know."

Damon laughed, a short almost snort-like sound. "You know. Right."

"She loves you."

Damon shook his head. "She does not."

"Listen, I know when I see-"  
"She does NOT." Damon stood, staring menacingly at his brother. Stefan couldn't be right because... well because Damon didn't want that to be true. He didn't deserve to be loved.

"What have you been playing at this last week?" Stefan stood, not backing down from Damon's overtly threatening manner. "You can't tell me you're hanging out with her because you want to be 'just friends.' I've seen you look at her, I know what that look means. Hell, you wouldn't have been so angry when you came down here if you didn't care about her. You can lie to yourself, Damon. You can't lie to me."

"I lie to you all the time." Damon commented offhandedly but he knew that wasn't what Stefan meant. Stefan ignored it.

"I think you're scared."

"What!" Damon was incredulous. "You're ins-"

"Scared. Because she found out and she didn't reject you like you thought she would. So you're scared." Stefan stepped toward him. "Trust me, I know. When Elena didn't reject me when she found out I was a vampire, I was tempted to just leave. Just go and never come back. Because what good can come of a human loving a vampire?"

Damon didn't respond except to take the last sip from his drink. He hated when Stefan had a point. Not that Damon would ever concede that to him.

"For some reason, Emma has always just seen the good parts in you. When ever she talks about you, that's all I hear about. And I think, 'you know, she's right, he is that way.' I just never notice it because you're always such a jerk ninety-five percent of the time." Stefan sighed. "But for some reason, you're that five percent good when you're with her and she brings that out in you. You're still a snarky son of a bitch but good hearted nonetheless."

Damon wasn't sure if he resented the fact that he was just called good hearted and snarky in the same sentence or the fact that he was just called a jerk but either way he couldn't let Stefan know he made sense. That wasn't in Damon's DNA. "Aw, that's so sweet." His pretended to wipe a tear from his eye. "I might actually feel an emotion after all that."

Stefan rolled his eyes, shaking his head helplessly. "Fine, I tried. I'm going to bed. Good night."

Damon watched him leave in silence. He was still angry but now it was directed inward. Stefan was totally right- what _had_ he been playing at this past week? A human/vampire relationship could only end in one of three ways: he turned her, she got old and died, or he killed her. None of the three options appealed to him.

Sure, he turned people in the past. A lot of people. People he didn't care a lick about. At the time he usually just needed something, or it had been for the satisfaction of destroying a life. He didn't want that for Emma. She would have been better off if he'd just ignored her when they first met.

"But you didn't." She was in the doorway, looking at him. How had she known what he was thinking...

"I spoke aloud?" It was more a statement than a question but he thought he might have.

"You did." She walked toward him. He walked away, going to set his glass down across the room. She didn't follow him; she stopped where he had been standing a moment before.

"Well then I guess you know why I'm angry."

"It doesn't make sense, but yes, I guess I know."

"I should have better self control."

"You shouldn't have feelings." She added, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"I _shouldn't_." He agreed.

"But you do." She gave a half hearted smile.

He shook his head, rolled his eyes, and sank onto the couch. "I don't know that I do." He rubbed his eyes with his palms.

Emma sat at the other end of the couch. "I think that you do."

"Apparently today is opposite day." He smirked at her. "You seem to think and say the opposite of everything I do."

"I just think you're being difficult." She sighed.

"I was actually trying to figure out how this was going to end. What was my game plan, how I thought it would all pan out. I didn't like any of the finales." Damon frowned, looking at the floor. "Plus, I don't think vampires are allowed to love."

"What about Stefan and Elena?" Emma suggested.

He shook his head. "Their ending? Tragic, no matter what."

"He could turn her." Emma scooted closer.

"He won't." Damon looked her in the eye. "He loves her too much."

"Too much to be with her for eternity?"

"That's the romanticized theory. Everyone gets so caught up in the 'forever' they forget the rest of the story." Damon turned back to the fire. "No longer human, feasting on blood, killing others for your survival. It's not all pancakes and fairy lights all the time." Shake his head he looked back to her. "You saw me tonight. It's brutal. Most of the time."

She laid down on the couch, sideways, also looking into the fire, resting her head in his lap gently. He knew he should push her off him, push her away, scare her into running but he didn't he couldn't bring himself to do it.

"He'll turn her." Emma said, referring to Stefan and Elena.

He reached down and brushed her hair behind her ears. "He won't."

"You evade my point." Emma reminded him. He made a face, looking over to the fire.

"So vampires can love. I'm just saying, it will end tragic, no matter what. Maybe that's the curse of it all. To be alone."

"He turns her, he's not alone."

"It's not that simple. He also destroys her. Turning someone doesn't mean they'll come out the same person on the other side. Sometimes the change, the blood, changes a person." Damon sighed, dozens of memories flooding through his head like a movie on fast forward. Countless lives, countless people, lost because of the change. It didn't seem worth the risk.

"So he stays with her."

"It's hard to watch someone grow old."

"You know from experience?"

"I've been told." Damon kept stroking her hair. It felt nice between his fingers. "Not sure I want to find out."

She turned, rolling backward to look up at him. "So the summation of this conversation is that I'm not worth the risk of loving because in the end _I_ will be hurt one way or another."

Damon squinted one eye, considering her words before shaking his head. "No, you're totally worth it, I just don't know if I am."

She grinned that grin that made him feel funny. That feeling that reminded him of love. "Isn't that for _me_ to decide?" she asked.

He didn't respond right away. Every bit of him wanted to scream 'no' at her but that little part of his head, the one that was always unreasonable, kept him from doing it.

"So starts a journey that can only end badly." He finally sighed, resigned. He was tired of fighting.

"According to you, Mr. Pessimist." Emma sat up then stood, offering a hand to him. "Don't be so cheery about it."

He took her hand, allowing her to help him up off the couch. "You know, they usually say to be careful what you wish for." He told her, standing close.

"Trust me, I know exactly what I wish for." She smiled, leaning close to his face. She put a finger to his lips before he could speak. "And no I'm not telling you because then it won't come true."

And before he could protest she pushed up on her tiptoes and began their first kiss. All fight left him with that one motion, that one confirmation of her desire to move forward. Arguments flew out of his head and the only thing that mattered in that moment was her, her lips, and being as close to her as possible.

"This can't end well." He whispered against her lips a moment later when his faculties returned to a place he could control them. "But it's beginning awesome."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: This is a little back story and Emma-Stefan bonding moment. I love Stefan but no worries, in my mind he and Elena are meant to be, just like the books. Also, I don't just put things in my stories for no reason, there is a whole story in my head and Emma's been dying to get me to type it for her. Also, this isn't the *whole* story, see if you notice what she left out. On a side note, I'll be moving and unsure how often I'll be able to update next week. Hopefully often- my muse has been working overtime...**

Chapter 9

The next morning Emma sat on the couch pulling on her shoes slowly, thinking about the night before. It was amazing how so many things could happen in just a couple of hours. She was almost killed, saved, fought with Damon, fought with her brother, and made up with Damon all in one night. No one could say last night was boring.

She sighed loudly, shaking her head. She and Damon had just gone to sleep after that kiss last night. She had been mentally and physically exhausted; unable to keep her eyes open any longer. When she woke, Damon was gone. She had searched for her brother but he was gone as well. It worried her a bit but she also knew Damon was a big boy and could take care of himself. She was more concerned about Jake.

"Good morning," a voice from the doorway startled her. Emma hadn't realized she'd been so lost in thought, allowing Stefan to sneak up on her. She smiled at him, returning the greeting. He sat on the other end of the couch as she finished lacing up her sneakers.

"I feel the need to apologize for last night." Emma told him, sitting back and turning toward him, resting her temple against her fist. "There was a lot going on that you didn't really need to be involved in."

Stefan gave her a crooked grin. "I told you, Damon and I are the ones that need to do the apologizing. We had some good times with your brother but what Damon did..." He shook his head. "That changed Jake. I take responsibility since I pushed Damon into going to college in the first place."

"Oh, I think Damon can take responsibility for his own actions. You didn't make him kill anyone, Stefan." Emma knew that Stefan liked to take ownership of Damon's actions a lot. Damon told her all about it. "He knows how to feel his own guilt."

"Still," Stefan said. "Jake has every right to angry with both of us."

Now Emma shook her head. "No, you're not those same people. If Jake can change in a few short years, and trust me, he has, then you guys can too. I know both of you, not well, but well enough. You're not evil killers that just do terrible things just for fun."

"How do you know?" Stefan was curious and unconvinced.

"I wouldn't be alive." She pointed out. "Damon had every opportunity to kill me that first night. He's had many since. He could have killed Jake last night, or the cops that came to the house, or countless other people who have been in our way the last week. There is nothing stopping him, if he was a cold-hearted, psycho killer."

"I can see your point." Stefan conceded, sitting forward on the couch and resting his forearms on his knees. "But I will caution you on wholeheartedly trusting him. Damon is many things but I don't know if I'd count stable among them."

Emma smiled. "Thanks for watching out for me. I think I'll be okay, but I will keep it in mind."

Stefan was silent a moment and Emma could see the internal debate going on in his head. He wanted to ask her something but he didn't wasn't sure. She let him battle it out in silence for a moment. Finally, he looked over at her. "I wanted to ask you about something you said last night, but if it's none of my business, please tell me."

Emma frowned in confusion but nodded. "Sure, anything. Ask away."

Taking a deep breath he looked back to the floor before speaking. "Last night you said something that changed the argument between you and Jake. You said it and it was almost like slapping him in the face."

Emma sucked in her breath through her teeth. He had noticed that, huh? Pressing her lips together it was her turn to have an internal debate. What should she tell him?

"You don't have to tell me-"

"No, you're fine. Are you talking about him not having a 'squeaky clean' past?"

"Well, that too. But you also told him he 'had to let go.' That just seemed to take the fight right out of him, like it meant something." Stefan seemed embarrassed. "It's too much, too personal, I shouldn't have asked."

Emma chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully, wondering what to say. She would have to remember that vampires were more observant about things than other people. She hadn't realized Stefan had picked up on both things she'd said to get Jake to cooperate last night. So much for thinking she was sneaky.

"It's alright, it's just hard to explain-"

"You don't have to-"

"No, I want to, it's just...difficult." Emma sighed. "Did Elena tell you why Jake and I came back to Mystic Falls a few years back?"

"To take over your parents' book store." Stefan told her.

She nodded. "Yep. But that's all she said?" He confirmed. "Good ol' Elena." Emma smiled in appreciation of her friends ability to keep things on the down low. "We came back because our parents died and _left_ us the book store."

"Your parents are dead?" Stefan looked shocked. "No one ever said a word."

"It's a tragic story that happened many years ago. People don't like to talk about it, including us." Emma said, feeling her eyes water at the thought of it all. She pushed back the tears though. She hadn't cried over her parents death in months and she wasn't about to start now; she was trying to move on with her life and move past that sadness. Her parents wouldn't have wanted her to dwell forever. But she wasn't done explaining it to Stefan.

"It was a horrific accident,"

"You don't have to tell me about it. I understand." Stefan held up a hand to stop her.

"No, it's good to get it out. Bottling it up makes it worse." She told him. Taking a breath she continued. "It was terrible. It was a car accident, like Elena's parents. That's kind of why Elena and I are such good friends. I was able to listen and talk with her about her parents with true empathy. To lose your parents so suddenly, so unexpectedly- people can't truly understand what that's like. You appreciate the sympathy but people can't comprehend the heartache unless they've been there. Elena and I have been good for each other in that way." Emma sighed, standing and beginning to pace.

"My mom didn't die right away," she continued, watching her shoes and she walked back and forth across the sitting room. "She was in the hospital, alive for hours after the crash. The doctors knew there was nothing they could do to save her, her internal organs were just crushed to bits. All they could do was make her comfortable..."

"Emma," Stefan stood, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Really, you don't have to-"

But she had started and she couldn't stop. There was a tremble in her voice she couldn't mask but she kept talking through it. "Jake was there the whole time, at the hospital with her. I was away at college, hours away. I had to have a friend drive me, I was out of my mind with grief. I got there for her last moments. Jake and I each had one of her hands but her last words were to him. 'Jake, you have to let go.' And then she was gone." Emma finally stopped pacing, hugging herself. She Stefan hesitating, not knowing what to do to comfort her. She really didn't want him to comfort her so she stepped back, looking at him. "It was my trump card last night, Stefan. It was cruel of me to use it, but I had to snap him out of that anger. I think, though, that I might have been unfair."

"Jake will forgive you." Stefan's compassion showed in his eyes. How could her brother think that either of these brothers was evil? Vampire didn't mean demon, it just meant different. Their ability to love, sympathize, and any other array of emotions made them just as human as she was. Evil was in the intent. If anyone was evil, it was her for bringing up the subject with Jake last night.

"He might," She conceded. "But not today."

"Have you told Damon any of this?" Stefan asked. She shook her head. "You should."

"I will."

"He might use it against Jake, though." Stefan warned.

"He might. He won't, but the possibility will be there, I understand." She reached down to pick up her bag. "Sorry to be all tragic and emo and then go, but I do have a store to run. I am late opening today."

Stefan surprised her by sweeping her up into a quick hug. "Don't dwell on the bad today, okay? Keep in mind, Jake stayed the night in this house and both vampires are still alive this morning. That's progress." He stepped back, flashing her an infectious smile.

"Optimism. I love it." Emma returned the grin. "Teach your brother some of that, please."

"That's another conversation for another time." Stefan rolled his eyes. Emma put her bag over her shoulder and walked out the door. "Brother," Stefan sighed to himself when he was alone. "What have you gotten yourself into?"


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: All moved! Trying to get back into my Vampire Diaries mode of writing. As for this chapter, I really just wanted to write something where Damon was in nothing but a towel...but there is plot too!**

Chapter 10

There was nothing unusual about the next two days except for the fact that she never saw Damon. Jake was acting like nothing had happened. If he wasn't being so uncharacteristically polite, she thought she might have dreamed the whole thing.

"Call me." She said into the phone after the voice mail beep. Damon wasn't answering that either. She walked up the stairs toward her bedroom. Dropping her stuff on her bed she paused when she heard something. The shower?

She looked over to her private bathroom door which was closed. She always left it open. The sound was definitely running water. As she headed toward the sound, the water stopped. Emma hesitated in opening the door.

It burst open on it's own accord. Well, actually, it burst open because Damon knocked it open with his palm. He walked into her bedroom, past her, in nothing but a green towel wrapped around his waist. He was dripping water all over her floor but she was too entranced to protest.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you it was impolite to stare?" Damon smirked, reaching down to grab his shirt off her bed. He made no move to put it on.

Emma felt her slack jaw and realized her eyes must be popping out of her head. She knew Damon was hot **in** clothes, she wasn't expecting perfection out of clothes. "What are you doing?" She managed to ask.

"Taking a shower." He shrugged, grabbing the rest of his clothes and standing in front of her.

"In my bathroom?"

"You took a shower at my place, so I took a shower at your place. We're square." He grinned. He seemed to be enjoying the way her eyes kept traveling over his body. She couldn't help herself; he was a masterpiece.

"You could have called." She remembered her anger then and it seemed to snap her from her reverie. He might be beautiful and next to naked in her bedroom but she was still mad at him. She frowned, peering into his eyes. "Where have you been?"

"Out. I had some things to do. I wanted to get them taken care of so I could forget about them." Damon replied, leaving a hint of mystery around every word.

Emma wasn't buying it. "You don't kiss a girl, then leave without telling said girl that you're going." She went into her walk in closet, half shutting the door to change into her pajamas in private but leaving it open enough that he could hear her continue. "You then don't show up in her bedroom, after disappearing for two days, showering in her bathroom and prancing around naked."

"I'm not prancing." Damon protested. Emma emerged to find him already fully clothed. She crossed her arms.

"Things like that make her very worried and unhappy." She finished, glaring at him.

"Oooh, we are talking about ourselves in third person now. Sexy." He walked over to her, taking her upper arms and pulling her close. He rested his forehead on hers; it felt cool and damp, soothing her anger to a dull simmer. "I didn't mean to worry you. Sorry I didn't call." He said quietly.

His eyes had her transfixed. She knew he couldn't compel her like a normal vampire but he could definitely compel her as a normal man. His eyes, inches away, were fathomless and quickly sucking her in. She made a face at him, then smiled.

"'Sorry' won't work all the time, you know." She told him. He stepped back from her and she seemed able to breathe properly again.

"I know." Damon agreed. "That's why I come bearing gifts!"

"Trying to buy my love?" She raised an eyebrow at him but couldn't hide the smile on her lips.

Damon merely smirked in response brandishing a box from seemingly no where. "Didn't have a chance to wrap it."

Emma took the box, making sure to give him a look that let him know he wasn't off the hook. She sat on her bed and opened the box, gaping at what was in it.

When her parents had died she had inherited her father's rare book collection. It was only a few books, since her family didn't have a lot of money to spend on such things. But it had been his pride and joy; first additions of Mark Twain, Beatrix Potter, and C.S. Lewis. There was one missing, however, that her father had always wanted to get for her- the first addition of Alice in Wonderland, her favorite story as a child. He'd never had a chance to get it for her before his death. Damon had heard part of the story; he still didn't know her parents had died. But he did know about the books.

There, in her lap: a first edition of Alice and Wonderland. The one book she'd been missing, the only thing she could think of that she actually wanted more than anything that was a material thing.

"So...you like it?" Damon asked. She realized she hadn't said a word to him yet, she was just staring.

"How...what...why..." She couldn't form a coherent sentence. It was the sweetest, best gift she'd ever received. He sat next to her on the bed.

"I wandered in a book store yesterday afternoon, thinking I would find something for you. I was surprised when I saw that," he motioned toward the book. "And I remembered that you had mentioned it. So I got it."

Emma finally ripped her eyes from the book in her lap to look at him. "You 'got it'? This book is worth at least ten thousand dollars and you just 'got it'?"

"Em, you say that like money is something I don't have. I've been around awhile, plenty of time to save up." Damon raised an eyebrow at her. "Do you like it?"

"Of course. I love it!" She set the book aside on her bed and threw her arms around him. She found herself in his lap and her nose a breath away from his. "Thank you." She added in a whisper. She leaned in to catch his lips with hers.

If Emma had been asked to describe what it was like to kiss Damon, she'd be hard pressed to find the right words. In a moment her world collapsed to the two of them, nothing else mattered. Emotions swirled inside her, none becoming dominant so she felt a little off balance.

When she could finally think straight, she backed up mid-kiss. He stared at her in disbelief. "I was just getting started." He murmured, reaching to pull her back.

"I'm mad at you." She reminded him.

"I bought you a gift."

"Which I appreciate. Where were you?"

Damon sighed so Emma scooted farther back from him. Despite the gift and the kiss she was still harboring some anger from being ditched without a word for two days. He wasn't going to get off easy just because he was charming.

"Don't make me lie to you." Damon finally answered.

"You won't tell me?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Can't," was his simple answer.

She crossed her arms and moved farther back from him, considering. He wouldn't tell her but at least he was trying to be honest about that. He could have outright lied. She wasn't sure how she felt about only knowing half the truth.

"What, you're mad at me?" He was taken aback. "I can't really explain it. I just had to do it. It's over, I'm at your beck and call now." He held out a hand to her. Knowing Damon the way she did, she realized instantly that if she didn't take it, he'd be gone for good. Her hand slid into his and he pulled her back close to him.

"Now where were we?" He asked, leaning toward her.

She kissed him quickly before reminding him. "We're in my house. Jake is home."

"Jake is..." he tilted his head, listening. His eyes widened. "On the stairs." He kissed her cheek. "To be continued..." Damon grinned a devilish lopsided grin and vanished before her eyes. An instant later, her bedroom door opened.

"Jake." Emma slid over on her bed, hiding the box with the book behind her. She flashed a bright smile at her brother.

"Did I hear voices?" Jake asked, leaning against the door jamb. The expression on his face was inquisitive, not mad.

"I, uh," she had never been good at lying, especially to her brother. "Well, I was talking to-"

"Damon." He finished for her. She sucked in her breath, waiting for the tirade that was sure to follow. Amazingly, Jake didn't scold her. He shook his head, mumbling to himself.

"Sorry, Jake. He was here and, well, you know how I feel-"

"I know." Jake cut her off. He walked into her room and stood at the foot of her bed. "I've been thinking. And while you _are_ my little sister who doesn't know a thing in the world, you are also an adult. I am not going to agree with all your decisions." He crossed his arms. "I also know the two friends I made back in college; before and after I knew they were vampires. They were good people, good friends. I've changed since then, so I guess I need to give them the benefit of the doubt, for the moment, that they've changed, too." He took a deep breath before continuing. "I fear for you. I'm scared that Damon is going to do to you what he did to my girlfriend back then. You have to understand that."

"I do." Emma agreed quietly. He nodded.

"But I also can't control you. You're a grown woman, you own and run a business, you can make your own choices in life. If this is your choice then I have to make a decision. I can either ignore you and shut you out, or I can voice my disagreement but accept it and live with it. I choose the latter. I don't want us to go on not getting along. I want us to be family again."

Emma blinked. This was totally unexpected. "Okay." She agreed, drawing the word out in her disbelief. "So you accept my vampire boyfriend?"

"Doesn't mean I have to like him." Jake added gruffly. "Just be polite to him. And he can't spend the night. You might be an adult but..." Jake struggled for a good reason. Coming up with none he shrugged. "Just not here, okay?"

Emma nodded, trying not to blush at the suggestion her brother was making. "But he can come over?" She clarified.

Seemingly in pain, Jake nodded with a wince. "Yes. For now. We'll see how things go. One step at a time with me, agreed?"

"Agreed." Emma beamed. Jake nodded one last time and left with a quiet goodnight. She picked up the book that Damon had given her, looking at it with a cherishing smile. She walked over to the bookcase with the other three books from her dad and slid the new one into place beside them.

Running her finger down the spine, she marveled at the fact that Damon had listened to one of her random babbles and had found her the perfect gift. Looking toward the door she realized that Jake had given her a gift as well, a gift of acceptance and understanding.

"I am one lucky lady, tonight." She whispered to herself, jumping into bed and falling asleep into a blissful dream. All was right in the world.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Damon sat, staring into the unlit fireplace, swirling his glass absently. He felt unsatisfied by the evening's events; he and Emma had been interrupted to soon for his taste. He found himself conflicted by his feelings toward her reactions. He recognized his anger and frustration and knew the reason; he didn't like that she was mad at him. The conflict came from his understanding where she was coming from. It wasn't fair of him to lie to her, in this case lying by omission. He was surprised at the guilt he felt for lying, it usually came to him as easily as breathing. That's why he felt conflicted.

He downed his glass of crimson liquid and stood to pour another. He must have eaten less on his trip than he thought; he was especially thirsty. He felt as though he hadn't drank that last glass. He devoured his second glass quickly and poured a third without thinking about it.

"Damon." Stefan appeared across the table from him.

"Brother." Damon acknowledged, sipping from his glass and walking back over to his favorite chair.

"Where have you been?" Stefan asked, following him.

"Why is everyone so concerned with my business? No one cares about what I do for a century then all of a sudden I'm gone for two days and everyone wants to know 'where I was.' Not sure I like this rise in popularity." Damon replied. Stefan crossed his arms but didn't budge. Damon rolled his eyes. "Business. Taking care of some loose ends so that I can settle down here for a while. I didn't want to have to leave suddenly for any reason. Is that satisfactory with you?"

"Business?" Stefan was skeptical.

"Yep." Damon emphasized, taking a sip. "Really very boring. Not quite sure why anyone is interested in it."

"Because business for you usually means nefarious things." Stefan walked over and sat on the arm of the couch, arms still crossed. "You're not known for going out and saving puppy dogs."

Damon tilted his head, conceding Stefan's point. "True. But I'm also in that 'changing' process. Trying to be a good guy, remember?"

Stefan smiled hollowly but didn't reply. He stared at Damon as Damon drank from his glass. Damon tried his best to ignore him. If he pretended Stefan wasn't there, maybe he wouldn't be any more.

"So you saw Emma tonight?" Stefan broke the silence moments later.

Damon squinted at his brother, wondering what he was up to. "Yes."

"Did you two talk?"

Damon smirked. "A little."

Stefan sighed, shaking his head. "I don't want details."

"Sure you do. We're all curious about details. I want details about you and Elena whenever you're ready to share." Damon flipped the conversation around, not really wanting to talk about himself. For once.

Stefan glared at him. "Don't hold your breath."

"Why not? It won't kill me."

"You're a jerk." Stefan couldn't help his smile.

"So are you." Damon replied, finishing his third glass. He still didn't feel satisfied. "Hey, did you mess with my blood?"

Stefan made a face. "Why would I do that?"

"I don't know _why_, but there's something funny about it. I don't know, maybe I'm just missing the fresh stuff." Damon peered at his empty glass curiously.

"I haven't touched it." Stefan assured him. "Temptations aside, I wouldn't mess with your things. I know how you get."

Damon knew Stefan was incapable of lying so he had no choice but to believe him. "Weird." He shrugged it off for the moment. "So, speaking of things that are not any body's business, how are you and Elena?"

"Do you really want to know or are you trying to make me uncomfortable?" Stefan countered.

"Indulge me."

"Elena and I are fine, thank you."

"No 'high school drama' to speak of?" Damon prodded.

"You know she's not like that."

"Well, with her little witch best friend gone, she might be depressed. Depressed girls do silly things." Damon shrugged.

"She is upset about Bonnie but all the Founder's Day preparation is keeping her pretty busy. Her family was very involved with all of it and she feels like she has to take her mom's place." Stefan sighed, rubbing his eyes. "She's over extending herself."

"Concerned about the town. Another reason she's nothing like Katherine. Point for Elena." Damon commented, almost to himself. "Working hard for others, another point for Ms. Gilbert."

"There's no comparison." Stefan emphasized.

Damon held up his hands. "I wasn't comparing. Just commenting." All of a sudden, he stifled a yawn. A _yawn_. Vampires didn't yawn.

"Apparently **I** overextended myself this evening." Damon told his brother who immediately looked at him with concern. Damon waved him off. "I haven't slept in two days, I am going to take a nap to catch up. I'm fine."

"Damon, you shouldn't be-"

"I'm _fine_." Damon cut him off, anger flashing across his eyes momentarily. "See you tomorrow." He stood, slamming his glass on the table, and stalked from the room toward his bed. Maybe a nap was exactly what he needed to clear his thoughts. Talking to Stefan certainly hadn't helped.

Blood. It was everywhere. He could smell it's coppery scent; he could taste the delicious, salty liquid on his lips. The bedsheets, blanket, and pillows were soaked. He couldn't stop drinking and there seemed to be a never ending supply. His need outweighed every thought and his thirst never seemed to be sated. As he became aware of what was going on, he realized he recognized the bed.

He sat up in horror, looking down at what he'd done. There was Emma, eyes glazed over in death, her blood spilling from the wound on her neck that he had made. He had loved her... and he had killed her.

"Just like I predicted." Jake said from the door way.

Damon whipped his head in Jake's direction but Jake wasn't moving. He just stood in the doorway, his eyes accusing. Damon looked back to his dead girlfriend wondering how he had gotten here and what the hell had happened. Horrified, he closed his eyes, wracking his brain for the answer.

When he opened his eyes he was in his bed, at home, alone. Blinking a few more times to be sure, he sat up, running both hands through his hair. A dream; it had been a dream. He tried to remember the last time he had a dream. He couldn't remember one since becoming a vampire.

Dream...more like a nightmare. His head was pounding and he was famished. He threw the covers off him and headed downstairs for his drink. He couldn't think straight until he got rid of the hunger pangs. He listened as he walked; the house was empty. Stefan must be out. Good.

He poured himself a glass and downed it. Making a face he stared at the empty cup. That hadn't helped a bit. Why was he drinking from a glass anyway? The only thing that sounded good was fresh blood; a fresh kill. That thought sent warning bells through his head but every time he tried to figure out why, the reason slipped away, like sand through open fingers.

The need to feed was the only thing driving him. Damon had enough sense about him to know he couldn't do anything in Mystic Falls. He began running toward the next town; far enough away to not bring suspicion to any one in his home town.

He was on the hunt and he was very, very hungry.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: First, thanks for the reviews! They are good food for my muse. Second, I want to apologize to Emma and Damon for all I put them through- though to be honest they do it to themselves. Dang their love for angst...enjoy!**

Chapter 12

It was a beautiful day for fall in Virginia. The sun was shining and there wasn't a cloud to be seen. The slight breeze kept it from being too hot. It was one of those days that you just wanted to spend outside and enjoy as much as possible because, inevitably, tomorrow would be rainy and/or cold. Emma sighed sadly and propped the door open to her book shop. She would be stuck inside most of the day but hopefully the nice weather would bring people out and put them in the shopping mood.

The day went as it usually did at work; slow for long periods of time then a sudden rush of eight customers at once, all wanting different things at the same time. Once they cleared out, another lull began. Emma wished one day she could just have a steady stream of interested customers so she could spend more time on customer service and less time on rushing around. That rarely happened.

During one of the lulls she had a great surprise. Damon walked in and leaned on her counter. "Good morning, beautiful." He grinned at her.

Emma took a moment to just look at him and admire his intense gray-blue stare. How she loved those eyes. "It's afternoon." She pointed out. "But I'll take the beautiful part." She walked over and planted a quick kiss on his lips. She took a hold of either side of his leather jacket that was hanging unzipped. "It's a little warm for this, isn't it?"

He shrugged. "Didn't notice but I guess you're right." He took it off, threw it over the counter, and took a step back from her. She noticed a change in his eyes but dismissed it. She must be seeing things. He crossed his arms and stood back from her. "So I take it I'm forgiven?"

Emma busied her self straightening up the shop while she talked. "For now. Just please don't do it again." She threw a look over her shoulder at him. "I don't like to worry."

"Noted." Damon replied, walking around the shop and looking at the books on the shelves. She could tell he wasn't really reading any titles, he was just trying to look occupied. She wondered what was on his mind but knew better than to pry.

After a few moments of silence she remembered what she had wanted to tell him. "Oh, I talked with Jake last night, after you left." She stopped working and walked over to him. He didn't turn to look at her but she saw him brace for bad news.

"And?" He prompted.

"And he said he didn't mind if you came over."

He spun around to face her, his expression confused. "Run that by me again?"

Giving him a crooked smile she repeated herself. He stared at her a moment in disbelief. "Well I'll be damned, I would have never guessed that would happen. Ever."

"So I thought maybe you would want to come over for a movie night or something. Order pizza, hang out, watch a movie. That way there won't have to be a lot of conversation, just watching the TV. I figure, baby steps with Jake." To her surprise she saw Damon's eyes darken a bit at her suggestion. She thought he would be all for it but for some reason he looked like the complete opposite. "Or not..." She added uncertainly.

He looked away from her, shaking his head. "I don't know, maybe." He replied.

Emma pushed her lips out and squinted her eyes at him. "Really? You don't know?" She pushed. He was being really weird.

Instead of turning toward her, he turned away, still not looking at her. "I don't know. It sounds so...normal. So high school. So...vanilla."

She put her hands on her hips as she stared at the back of his head. Here they were just making up, she was giving him exactly what they had talked about wanting, and now he was calling her...vanilla? Something was seriously wrong. "What's your deal?" She asked when she got over her shock.

He spun on her, taking a step toward her. The look in his eyes made her take a step back. Those beautiful gray-blues were suddenly dark and stormy. She didn't want to admit it, but it scared her. "My deal? Why do I have to have a deal? All you do is complain about me. Why would you want to be with me if all I do is disappoint you? Maybe _you're_ the one with the deal." His words were marked with rage and anger. She had never seen or heard him this way before. Emma was so taken aback she was speechless.

He reached past her and grabbed his coat. "I'm sorry I even came in here today. Don't call me, I'll call you." He left as fast as he humanly could.

Emma stared after him, dumbfounded. What the hell had just happened? The conversation had started normally enough but when she mentioned coming over to the house things had gone terribly awry. No, that's not when it happened. His eyes had changed before then. Something other than the words she had said was wrong.

Her first instinct was to call Stefan but she didn't have his phone number. Instead she dialed Elena and quickly ran down the details of the last two days, culminating in what just transpired.

"It's just strange, Elena. I don't get it." Emma sighed into the phone. A customer wandered in just then and she smiled a greeting but didn't get off the phone.

"It does sound strange, you're right. That's not like him at all. Even at his worst he's not rude like that. Something's up." Elena agreed with her.

"Do you think we should ask Stefan?" Emma chewed on her bottom lip worriedly.

"I'll say something to him tonight. But don't fret about it, Emma. I'm sure he'll be back to normal soon. I'll call you tomorrow morning, okay?"

"Okay, thanks El." Emma clicked her phone off. She turned her attention to the customer, deciding throwing herself into her work was the only thing that was going to get her mind off what just happened and her worry about her boyfriend. If he was even still her boyfriend.

* * *

Damon cursed in his head the whole way down the street, away from the bookstore. He ducked down an alley so he could take off back to the house. Something was wrong with him.

First, he had killed a couple in the next town. He had been glad to find a duo because he was extremely hungry. The fresh blood had cleared his mind enough to realize what he was doing was against everything he had been working for. He looked down at the dead bodies in disbelief before taking off back home. Why had he done that?

His memory after leaving Emma's house was fuzzy up until that moment. He remembered his horrible dream and he remembered an unquenchable thirst but that was it. He must have needed the blood badly if he killed for it.

He wasn't going to mention it to anyone. One little slip, no one needed to know about it. It was really no big deal, he could handle it. He went to go visit Emma at her work.

That's where he realized something was terribly wrong. He was fine at first but then half way through their conversation he realized all he wanted to do was bite her neck. He could see an artery pulse with every beat and he was mesmerized by it. It scared him.

His dream had come flooding back as she invited him to her house for a normal, every day activity. It was what they had talked about before; being as normal as a vampire and human could be in a relationship. He had told her he wanted that. She had believed him. And here he was, denying it like that conversation never happened. He knew she'd be mad; he wanted her to be mad. Better to hate him then be killed by him.

Anger pushed away the hunger. When he yelled at her, he didn't want to suck her dry. So he went with that, chose a route that would hurt her and he could leave and she would leave him alone. He needed to sort out what was happening to him before he could be around her.

Now he was pacing the foyer of the boarding house, trying to figure out just that. What _was_ wrong with him? Vampires didn't get sick so he could rule out a brain tumor. He wondered if there was a parasite that could get in a vampire's blood that could cause personality changes. Probably not, how could it live off a mostly dead body, but something about that explanation led him to think he was on the right trail. Something to do with the blood...

"Hey," Stefan looked at his brother with worry as he came down the stairs. "I surprisingly didn't hear you come in."

"I'm a vampire. I'm stealthy." Damon tossed out absently, continuing to pace.

"I'm a vampire. I hear well." Stefan pointed out.

"You're vampire-light. Squirrels and rabbits only take you so far on the bad ass-meter." Damon couldn't help but annoy his brother despite his vexation.

"You alright?" Stefan asked. "I'm meeting Elena but I can cancel if you need-"

"No, I'm fine." Damon shook his head and forced a smile at his brother. "Just a lot rolling around in here." He tapped the side of his head. "Girls and scary older brothers and all," he lied.

Stefan looked as if he didn't believe him but nodded. "Okay. Call me if you need anything."

"Aw, the concern is touching, really." Damon started but then realized he didn't want to fight with his brother too. "I will. Go have fun." He finished, waving him off.

Stefan left. Damon went to the sitting room and poured himself a glass of bourbon first. He contemplated his bottles of various liquids sitting on the side board. He had been on the verge of an epiphany when Stefan had interrupted him. The bottles were reminding him of that. He grasped at the thought, trying to figure out what was bugging him but it kept just out of reach, edging away each time he went for it.

After the bourbon he poured a glass of blood. He was still pretty full from his fresh kill the night before but he didn't want to be famished again. _I'd make a good boy scout_, he thought wryly. _Always be prepared_.

Downing the glass quickly, he reached to pour himself another.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Despite the promise to herself to not worry, she puzzled over Damon's behavior all night. She finally fell asleep when her brain was too tired to think about it any more. She awoke the next morning groggy as if she hadn't slept at all. This relationship had barely begun and it was already complicated.

She walked downstairs and began fixing herself breakfast. Her cell rang halfway through and she dashed for where it was sitting on the table. The caller ID read 'Elena.' Not who she had been hoping for but good enough. She greeted her friend as she answered.

"Hey, Em. I talked to Stefan last night. He was a bit concerned too. He said Damon seemed a little 'off' last night to him as well." Elena launched into what she knew Emma wanted to hear right away. "He said he would talk to him. He thought it would be best if you backed off for a bit, until he could get it sorted out."

Emma felt herself biting back tears. Crying? She wasn't typically a crier but she felt so overwhelmed with the emotions of the past few days she could feel her eyes welling up. "Back off, huh?" She whispered into the phone. That was not the advice she had wanted.

"Yea, sorry hun. I know that will be tough, I don't know what I'd do if I had to back off from Stefan." Elena sympathized.

Emma took a deep breath. "Yes you do, you told me about that. You'd go after him; a little fight or anger wouldn't keep you away." Elena was forgetting she had already been through a similar situation with Stefan.

"True, but Stefan is... different than Damon. I might take Stefan's advice on this one." Elena replied gently. Emma bristled but she knew Elena had a point. Stefan had always been known for being good and kind and deep down he always would be. Though Emma only saw the good in Damon, she couldn't ignore the bad he had done previously.

"You're right." She conceded, turning back to continue working on breakfast. "It's going to be tough though. You know how I worry about things."

"And worry and worry." Elena agreed. "So that's why Jenna and I are having a girls' night tonight. Come over around six, we are going to watch romantic comedies and eat popcorn and ice cream and just all out forget about boys and their issues. Jenna's totally up for it, she's been on the relationship roller coaster herself. Sound good?"

Emma hesitated a moment but the offer was too good to pass up. Besides, she hadn't seen Jenna in forever and she thought some girl time would do her good. "Okay, six. I'll be there." She promised. They said their goodbyes and she hung up the phone. She felt a bit better after talking to Elena, and she was sure Stefan would get to the bottom of this.

However, that good feeling was overshadowed by an ominous feeling deep down. Why couldn't she shake this feeling in the pit of her stomach that something awful was about to happen?

* * *

"Damon."

The voice behind him made him roll his eyes. Damon was getting tired of his brother always on his back about something or other. Wasn't _he_ supposed to be the big brother, taking care of his younger sibling? This was so backward.

"Stefan." Damon replied, turning to face his brother with a forced smile. "How delightful to see you."

"We need to talk." Stefan stopped a foot away from him. Damon crossed his arms eying his brother.

"No, _you_ need to talk." He pointed at Stefan.

"Fine, _I_ need to talk." Stefan conceded.

"Talk away."

"You're acting...strange. I've noticed, and Emma's noticed-"

Damon exhaled in annoyance and threw up his hands, cutting his brother off. "You guys really worry too much over nothing."

Stefan continued as if he wasn't interrupted. "And we're both concerned." Stefan leaned in to make sure Damon was looking at him. "You have people that care about you, it's not a bad thing."

"Well, caring friends, I am fine." Damon stated, bowing and then walking away from Stefan. "There is nothing wrong. So tell Emma you talked to me and I'm fantastic."

He heard Stefan sigh and knew this was not going to be over so easily. Damn the Salvatore stubbornness.

"You have to admit, you've been off. You've not been very 'new Damon' like." Stefan held up his finger to quote what he was saying.

"Don't finger quote me." Damon frowned.

Stefan rolled his eyes. "Don't avoid the subject."

"I-am-fine." Damon hissed, instantly in Stefan's face. "I am just tired of everyone being on my case. I am allowed to have a moment of anger. I am not all Pollyanna sunshine like you. I'm an angry, hungry vampire and I can be 'off' if I want to. Stop trying to control me."

He felt satisfaction at the flash of uncertainty in his brother's eyes. Good, let him be scared or annoyed or whatever he was feeling. Damon was tired of being under the moral microscope. "I'm going to find dinner."

"Damon." Stefan's tone was warning but Damon left without looking back. His hunger was the only thing driving him tonight and he could smell a feast nearby.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Another short chapter but I figure two short chapters in a quick row = 1 long chapter, right? Anyway, couldn't end it anywhere else, this had to be the ending of the chapter. Hope it's not too cheesy, enjoy!**

Chapter 14

"You don't have any ice cream?" Emma emphasized her shock. "How can we have a 'girls' night' without any ice cream?"

Jenna let her head fall into her hands. "I know, I'm a terrible 'girl party' host."

"Why don't we just go get some? Frank's should be open still." Elena suggested. Leave it Elena to be sensible about the whole thing.

"I wouldn't mind a road trip." Emma agreed.

They got in Jenna's car and pulled away. None of them noticed Stefan arriving on the front porch just as they were turning the corner up the street.

Elena switched on the radio. "Oh my, goodness." She giggled when the song started. "I haven't heard this song since I was a kid." Emma nodded, rolling her window down to feel the night breeze on her face.

"You only know it because _I_ played it all the time when I was over." Jenna grinned. All three girls started singing the song loudly, having a great time.

There was a man in the road. It was so sudden all Jenna could do was gasp and take her foot of the gas before they hit him. The car spun around twice before the back end went into the ditch, flipping it over into the field next to the road.

Emma wasn't in the car. She remembered her seat belt snapping but she didn't remember being flung from the automobile. She was grateful for the field being there, not trees or forest. Her last thought before passing out was wondering who had been in the middle of the road and where he had come from.

* * *

She was only out a few minutes, of that she was sure. Emma was sore so she didn't move, unsure if she broke anything. She could hear Elena calling Jenna's name. She should get up to check if they were alright.

Emma slowly sat up, bracing her right arm with her left. Looking down at it, it was pockmarked with red, bleeding spots. Her window had shattered and cut up her arm pretty bad. She touched the side of her face. It felt wet and sticky too.

There were suddenly two legs in front of her. She looked up to find Damon staring down at her intensely. She momentarily forgot he was a vampire and was flooded with relief at seeing her boyfriend in a time of crisis. She smiled at him. He didn't return her smile.

That was the moment she remembered what he was and how he'd been weird lately. Was Damon what Jenna had just hit on the road? Why would he do something like that? The smell of blood, her blood, was strong she suddenly realized. That had to be tough for him.

He reached down for her and instinctively she crawled backward away from his hand. He wasn't trying to help, she could tell from his expression. "Stop." She managed to whisper. The look in his eyes made him a different person. This wasn't the Damon she knew and loved, this was someone else completely.

"Don't fight me." He tried to compel her. She recognized it for what it was. Had he forgotten her locket?

"You can't compel me." She reminded him. "Just stop, Damon."

Angry, he grabbed her faster than she thought possible and backed her up to a nearby tree across the road. She gasped for air, off balance from having been pushed so far so quickly. Damon pinned her there, his grip gentle but iron. He wasn't hurting her but she wasn't going anywhere.

"I don't need to compel you." He seethed through grit teeth. He was filled with anger and hunger. His eyes gave away all.

"You never have." Emma agreed with him.

"Stop talking."

"No, Damon. You have to fight this. Whatever's going on, you have to fight it." She insisted. "This isn't you."

"I'm a vampire." He reminded her, shoving her a little harder with the word 'vampire.' "This is nature."

Emma shook her head. "Vampire or not, this isn't _you_. _You_ love me, _you_ wouldn't do this to me. You have to fight it." A tear fell as he squeezed her arm painfully. "For me, Damon." She added in a whisper.

Damon stood there, staring at her for what seemed like an eternity. His eyes showed an internal battle as he struggled to figure out what he wanted to do, which side was really him.

Emma noticed that the edges of her vision were getting blurry then dark. All her pain from the car accident and Damon grabbing her was finally seeping through her shock. She was going to pass out, it was only a matter of minutes, maybe seconds. If she passed out, Damon could do with her as he liked which wasn't going to be as pleasant as it sounded. There was something wrong with him and she could very likely end up his next dinner.

"Damon," she could only whisper but she knew he could hear her. "Please, I love you. Please just..." And the world went black.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Enjoy!**

Chapter 15

He wasn't sure why he was drawn to the car at first. He just knew someone inside smelled delicious and that there was more than one person in the car. He was so hungry he couldn't see straight, his vision was tilted, angled, and giving him a migraine. He needed to feed and soon. This car was the closest available food. He stepped in front of it at the last moment, bracing himself for the impact.

He had expected the car to spin, he hadn't expected the flip. Not that it mattered. His nose brought him away from the car to a spot where a girl was crumpled into heap on the grass. Something about her made him hesitate. When she sat up, he took a step closer so she would see him. He always thought a fearful dinner was the best dinner.

Damon paused when she smiled at him. Why was this girl smiling at death? Most people cringed in fear or backed away or begged for their life. This girl was...smiling? A nagging thought began pulling strings in the back of his head but he stubbornly ignored it. He needed to eat now so he could think later. He reached down to grab her.

When she backed away his instinct had been to compel her not to fight. He like them fearful, but docile. He was momentarily surprised when she didn't relax immediately.

"You can't compel me." She said. "Just stop, Damon."

She knew who he was. That nagging thought began tugging harder but his anger at being denied boiled over. He grabbed her and ran her across the street where he could pin her against a tree. Normally he wouldn't care about hurting someone at that point but something was keeping him gentle. Strong but gentle.

"I don't need to compel you." He seethed, getting close to her face. He was hungry and angry and starting to feel nauseous. If he didn't eat soon...

"You never have." She replied softly. What was wrong with her? Why wasn't she scared and how did she know about being compelled?

"Stop talking." He insisted, shaking his head to rid himself of his confusion. He had one purpose here; food. Of course, she didn't listen to him.

"No, Damon. You have to fight this. Whatever's going on, you have to fight it." She insisted. "This isn't you."

How would she know...he knew her. He knew this girl. The realization hit him like a freight train. He...he liked her. Wait, he was a vampire, he didn't like people. He needed to shut her up.

"I'm a vampire." He reminded her, shoving her a little harder with the word 'vampire.' "This is nature."

The girl shook her head. "Vampire or not, this isn't _you_. _You_ love me, _you_ wouldn't do this to me. You have to fight it." A tear fell as he squeezed her arm painfully. "For me, Damon."

He stared in her face, trying to remember. He was a vampire, how could he love a human? That just spelled out tragedy, whatever way you looked at it. But those thoughts were still tugging strings in his head; the thoughts that he'd been pushing away, that nagging feeling, was slowly making itself known.

He did know her, and what she said was true. Everything came flooding back at once in an overwhelming wave of realization. What in the hell was he doing? He was about to kill one of three people in the world that actually gave him a chance, one of the three people that he actually cared about. Why was his hunger so strong that moments ago, none of that mattered? He finally realized they had all been right, something was wrong with him.

At his moment of epiphany, Emma slumped over in his arms, her head falling to his shoulder. She had passed out. Damon, his shock at his actions fading slowly, figured that between his act here and the car accident she was probably in bad shape. If he didn't get her to a hospital, she might die.

He also knew who else was in the car and neither girl had moved since he'd been talking to Emma. Damon was torn; he wanted to check on Elena and Jenna but he had to get Emma to the hospital.

"Go." Stefan's voice was, for once, a relief. "They're fine, I just checked them. We'll meet you there."

Damon didn't question him, why he was there, or even what he meant. He gathered Emma in his arms and just went, like a bat out of hell, toward the hospital.

* * *

She was fine. Bumps, bruises, scratches, and a concussion but nothing permanent or life threatening. She was sleeping in her room; Damon stood outside, a few feet away, watching her through the window.

"You should go in there." Stefan said, appearing at his shoulder.

Damon was chewing on a fingernail, a nervous habit he hadn't done in decades. "No."

"It's not your fault-"

"I almost killed her." Damon hissed in his most menacing whisper. He felt guilty but he didn't want anyone to overhear them. "I don't need to be near her."

"_She_ needs you to be near her." Stefan countered, watching as Jake was led into her room. "I'm the only one who knows, besides her, what happened; no one will deny you the right to be by her bedside."

"Do I have that right?" Damon turned, glaring at his brother. "After all I did."

"I told you what happened. I figured it out after you left in search of 'dinner.' Instead of all this self loathing, what we need to do is figure out who spiked your blood."

Damon gave a humorless chuckle. "Guarana. Some one was going to an extreme. I know who it was."

Guarana was an herb used mostly for teenage girls wanting to lose weight and highly unknown to most people. For vampires, it had the opposite effect; it made them more hungry and more violent. It had been the reason for Damon's temper flare ups and his out of control binges. Someone had dosed his home supply, which meant someone knew where it was and what it would do to him. It wasn't an accident.

Stefan had figured it out. A trace of the ground up herb had been spilled on the floor by the freezer. He had searched most of the night but had finally found the trace amounts, tasted them, and realized what was happening. His brother was being poisoned. And he was about to hurt someone.

After Damon had dropped Emma off in the emergency room, he had sat in the waiting room until Stefan came. Damon wasn't waiting; he really didn't know what else to do. He hated himself for almost having killed the one person he had loved since Katherine; he hated himself for losing control. Wallowing in self pity was usually Stefan's forte but tonight Damon was reveling in it.

Stefan had finally shown up with the other girls. While they were being treated he explained to a listless Damon what he had found. Guarana was a powerful poison to vampires; Damon couldn't be blamed for his actions.

"You know who it was." Stefan half asked, half stated. "Who?"

Damon didn't answer. He merely looked away from his brother back to Emma in her bed. She was stirring and Jake was holding her hand. "I'm not going in there."

"She would want you to." Stefan insisted.

"I think she wouldn't." Damon replied coldly. "But I'm not going anywhere. I am pretty sure whoever did this to me wanted me to do _exactly_ what I did tonight. She's in danger."

"Someone's been poisoning you so you would kill Emma? That sounds-"

"Crazy, I know. But it would destroy both of us, especially when I came out of the haze and realized what I had done." Damon sighed. "And who do we know who is that crazy and devious..."

Both brothers replied at the same time. "Katherine."

**Remember, reviews feed the muse :) Let me know what you think!**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Sorry it's taken a while. Real life gets busy! But my Damon muse (and you're reviews!) kicked my butt into gear this morning. Hope you enjoy! Don't forget to leave your thoughts! (review hint hint)**

Chapter 16

It was one of those moments where you knew you were waking up but you didn't want to. The sleep felt so warm and comfortable; awake seemed so cold and callous. Emma tried to grip tighter to her sleep but the more she tried, the more it began slipping away. She could hear her own sigh aloud which woke her up even more. So much for that wonderful, relaxed feeling.

She rolled over in her bed and her nose bumped something solid. Opening one eye she scowled at the person in her bed. Damon.

Despite the trauma, Emma had no memory loss over the events that happened the night of the car accident. She remembered everything she was conscious for and she had been told what had happened after she passed out by Stefan. As much as she was grateful that her instincts about Damon were right and he hadn't hurt her, she was annoyed at the fact that he'd been avoiding her. He hadn't stopped to see her at the hospital and she'd been home for two days with no sign of him. Until now.

Her heart jumped at the sight of him in her bed but she kept the scowl in place. Her internal battle was brutal; on one hand she wanted to jump on him and kiss the smirk off his face and forget it all. On the other hand, he'd been an real jerk lately and she felt he needed to do some groveling or _something_ to let her know he was sorry. She was tired of being angry and annoyed at him but only he could fix that.

"That was not the expression I was expecting." He admitted, his grin never wavering.

"Did you want me to fling my arms around you and express my undying love?" She grumbled, pushing herself up into a sitting position.

"Apparently you aren't a morning person."

"It's mid-afternoon; I was taking a nap."

"So you're not a 'wakey' person. Same thing." Damon raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you _irritated_ with me?"

"You sound surprised." Emma rested her forehead in her hands, her elbows on her knees.

"Stefan said he explained what happened." She could hear the frown in his voice but she didn't look at him.

"He did. Which you could have done." Emma knew she was being short but irritation was winning the battle. "You didn't have to avoid me for so long."

Silence. Rarely was Damon silent so she peeked to look at him. He was no longer looking at her, he was looking at his feet in deep thought.

"I just thought you wouldn't want to see me." Damon finally broke the silence, moving only his gaze in line to meet hers. Those sea blue eyes pierced right to her soul, taking her breath away for just a moment. His telltale gaze showed her everything, right down to how sorry he was. She fought internally to stop herself from throwing her arms around him and forgiving him. That would have been too easy.

Surprisingly steady, she replied, "You were being irrational. Of course I'd want to see you."

Another pause but their eyes were locked on one another. She could see his mind whirling, trying to figure out what the right thing to say was. "The truth." She insisted.

"I...I didn't want to see you. I was..." He finally looked away unable to meet her gaze. His eyes turned cold in an instant. "I was embarrassed."

Emma blinked. She understood how hard that had been for him to say. Damon didn't admit when he was wrong and he put on the bravado that he was never ashamed or embarrassed about what he did. For him to tell her that, it was a big deal. She needed to let him know that she understood that and he could stop beating himself up over it. She uncurled herself and lay down next to him, her head on his chest.

"Don't be." She assured him. "It wasn't your fault. I understand."

She felt him tense when she laid next to him but he slowly began to relax as she spoke. He rested a hand on her shoulder and she felt his cheek against the top of her head. Smiling, she fell back into a peaceful, blissful sleep.

* * *

Damon left her sleeping. Jake had told him that she needed lots of rest to recoup from her injuries so he was letting her just nap a lot. She had refused to take the pills the doctor had prescribed her so sleep was the only thing letting her heal. Damon planned on coming back later, after she rested up.

He had felt the need to see her today and planned on just being there while she slept. He still felt bad for the things he had said and done; he was having a hard time finding the words to apologize. Damon didn't typically apologize. It was much easier just to shut everything off and not care. Yet, he had promised himself he wouldn't do that with her.

Emma waking up had startled him and the conversation he had been avoiding had happened...and ended in a way he hadn't expected. He figured she'd just be furious and throw him out and that would be the end of it. However, she had forgiven him; she had understood how hard it was for him to say the things he said and she forgave him for his actions. Everything she did was so unexpected; maybe that's why he liked her so much.

This moment, however, he couldn't think about Emma. He had to figure out what to do about Katherine. He and Stefan had been over it every night since they realized it was her but they still didn't have a plan about how to deal with her. Stefan still wasn't one hundred percent sure it was even Katherine but Damon knew; he knew her better than Stefan did. It was just like the wench to come back after him as soon as he found a shred of happiness. She had been doing it to him since he'd met her; it just took him until now to see it.

Damon was surprised to see Stefan already in the sitting room when he got home. "I thought you were spending the day at Elena's." Damon poured himself a glass of bourbon then sat across from his brother. "Trouble in paradise?" He couldn't help but tease.

Stefan didn't rise to the bait. "We have a problem."

"Yes, named Katherine." Damon agreed.

"No," Stefan gave Damon a pointed look. "Something bigger."

Damon squinted an eye at his brother. "Bigger than Katherine? I don't know if you remember her, but she's a pretty giant problem."

"Jonathan Gilbert."

Damon paused to take a drink then frowned at his brother. "He's dead."

"Not that one. Elena's uncle." Stefan stood up and began pacing. "He's in town. For business he says."

Damon shrugged. "So?"

Stefan stopped, staring at Damon. "He knows."

"Knows what?"

"Are you being stupid on purpose?" Stefan growled.

"I think I resent that."

"He knows what we are. Vampires." Stefan told him like he was talking to a three year old. "He grew up in this town, he knows people. We're finished."

Damon waved him off. "We're fine, stop being so melodramatic. What could he possibly do to threaten us-"

"He _knows_ people. He can convince people in town to come after us. It will be 1865 all over again." Stefan's voice rose as his panic at the situation became apparent.

Damon wasn't ruffled. "I have the sheriff eating out of my hand. Gilbert hasn't been around for years. I think you overestimate his influence-"

"I am not going to underestimate it." Stefan interrupted. "You saw what happened last time."

"Katherine is a more present and far more intimidating danger." Damon stared his brother down. "I think we need to focus on her."

Stefan opened his mouth to argue. He seemed to think better of it, snapped his mouth shut, and sunk onto the couch. He was wrapped up in his thoughts and finally silent for a moment.

"Thank goodness." Damon rolled his eyes, downing the rest of his drink. "Now that you've stopped babbling I can actually think-"

"What if," Stefan cut him off, not looking up. Damon was getting tired of being interrupted.

"Would you drop the Gilbert thing for one minute and help me figure out what to do about Katherine?"

Stefan continued as if he hadn't heard him. "What if this isn't a coincidence?"

Damon crossed his arms, studying his brother intently. "What do you mean?"

"What if this thing with Katherine and Jonathan Gilbert showing up out of the blue isn't just bad timing?" Stefan finally met Damon's eyes. "What if they're in on this together?"

Damon tilted his head sideways. "You think Jonathan Gilbert and Katherine are out to get us?" He laughed. "And I thought I was the paranoid one. Don't be so narcissistic, Stefan. Not everything is about 'us'."

"No, it makes sense." Stefan jumped up and grabbed Damon's arms. Damon's first instinct was to punch him but because it was his little brother he suppressed it. For now. "Jonathan has been gone for...years. Why would he pick _now_ to show back up?"

Damon gave his brother a weird look. "Why did we pick _now_ to show back up? We just did; there was no rhyme or reason to it. You stayed because of Elena. I stayed to annoy you. There was no 'diabolical plan' behind it." Damon stepped back from him. "Katherine's here to mess with me; mess with _us_. Gilbert's just here to mess with Jenna, Elena, and Jeremy. What does that have to do with Katherine?"

Stefan stared at him a few moments. Damon could tell he was contemplating. He went to pour himself his dinner for the evening- fully tested and uncontaminated blood. He had to admit he didn't like Jonathan Gilbert just showing up for no reason but he didn't think there was any mal intent in it. The man had every right to visit his family if he wanted to, whether he knew about vampires or not. Stefan was being a paranoid delusional.

"You're right." Stefan finally agreed though warily. "But I still don't trust him."

"Oh, I'm not asking you to trust him. Anyone named Jonathan Gilbert I wouldn't trust father than I can...well, you know." Damon grinned over his glass at his brother. "Now, on to more important things. We need a plan to kill Katherine."


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: So I have decided to not follow the TV show exactly. First I was and I didn't like it. Instead, I wanted to make John a big villain cause I dislike the character. And it's just much easier to do your own thing then to try to make it match up. Although I am going with this 'device' thing because I think the incapacitation idea was a really good one. Just putting my own spin on it...because that's what fanfiction is for! I hope you like it, this is more storyline than hawt boys- but that just means lots of hawt boys next chapter!**

Chapter 17

"I cannot believe you thought that actor was cute." Emma scoffed, following Elena through the front door of the Gilbert house. "He was too...too...British." She giggled as Elena rolled her eyes.

"I _like_ the accent. It made him cuter." Elena smiled, leading Emma into the kitchen. They stopped up short when they saw they weren't alone.

John Gilbert was on his cell phone, listening at the moment. He smiled at the girls, not a drop of warmth in the look. "Yes, well, I'll have that taken care of shortly. You shouldn't worry so much." He paused, listening again.

Elena turned to Emma. "You want something to drink?" She apparently had decided to ignore her uncle. That had become commonplace for most of them; Jonathan Gilbert was not looked upon as a friendly relative by any of them. Damon and Stefan seemed to hate him the most which was weird since they weren't even related. Emma chalked it up to the callous way he treated Elena; that's why _she_ didn't like him.

"Water, thanks." Emma answered. While Elena was in the fridge fishing out two bottles of Fiji, Emma looked back over at John. He was talking in a lower tone and she couldn't make out the words, especially after he turned his back on them. Elena handed her the bottle and they started to leave the kitchen when they heard John call to them.

"Ladies! Can you wait just one moment?" John turned back to finish up his phone call.

Emma crossed her arms. "Not even a please?" She muttered under her breath to Elena who could only roll her eyes in answer.

John snapped the phone shut and sauntered over to them, a smile on his face that didn't quite reach his eyes. The man was nothing if not insincere. She wondered why he even bothered to pretend to care. "So," he began in his sharp voice. "How was the movie?"

Small talk? Really? Elena jumped in quickly. "Great, really funny." Her snappy response made it obvious they didn't want to linger. "We were just going to go upstairs and talk about the cute guys in it. Nothing you'd be interested in." Elena turned, trying to leave again. John's reply stopped her.

"Speaking of cute boys, how are those Salvatore brothers? You're each dating one, right?"

Something about the way he said it made Elena freeze and Emma's heart skip a beat. He knew. The way he spat out the word 'Salvatore' and his tone made it obvious he wasn't just trying to generate small talk. He wanted one of them to slip.

Emma recovered first. "They're doing really well. We begged off for a girls' night out, which I think they're counteracting by playing darts at The Grill." Emma looked for confirmation from Elena. She was totally making it up but Elena nodded along.

"Brother bonding time." Elena attempted a smile as she supplemented.

"Ah." John wasn't buying a word of it. "Well, let me ask you, what is it that you see in those boys?" He began walking around the island in the middle of the kitchen toward them. He reminded Emma of a cat stalking it's prey. Her stomach dropped as he spoke.

This time Elena recovered first. "I don't know that it's any of your business, Uncle John. It's kind of personal." Emma was proud of the strength in her friend's voice, especially with how weak her own knees were feeling at the moment.

"Well," John's voice dropped as he stood right in front of them. "It is my business, Elena. After all, you are my niece."

Many things happened at once. Elena and Emma attempted to get away from John because he was invading their personal space. A noise from the front door was heard and then a sharp pain at the back of her head made stars explode before Emma's eyes. Right before she passed out, in that moment, she realized John had just been stalling them for whatever it was that just happened. Then the world was black.

* * *

The pounding headache woke her. She tried to lift a hand to figure out what was wrong but her hands wouldn't move. None of her could move. Only her head was free and she didn't want to move that; the slightest twitch sent a wave of nausea through her. She opened her eyes only to have to blink several times to adjust to the dim light. The dying bulb above her head barely lit the center of the room but even that little light hurt. Damn migraine.

She moved just her eyes to the right and left. Elena was there, on her left, in a chair like her, bound and gagged. Her head was drooped forward, her chin resting on her chest. Emma would fear she was dead but she remembered John was the one who did this and despite him being a bastard she was fairly certain he wouldn't kill his niece. Then again, she lived in a world of vampires and witches, so what did she know?

Other than her friend, they seemed to be alone in the room. She didn't recognize it; it looked to be the basement of a house. Cement floors, no windows, stairs, whitewashed walls; very plain and bare and cold. She tried to say Elena's name but realized she was gagged as well. Despite the fear of her situation she felt surprisingly calm and collected. If John was going to kill them, he would have done it by now. The longer they were alive and left alone, the longer Stefan and Damon had time to find them. And there was no doubt the boys would come looking for them, and soon. If Elena didn't text message Stefan every two hours, the man would tear apart Virginia until he found her. Damon would tag along, just for the fun of the destruction.

Emma's calm was short lived. The door flew open a few moments later and two sets of feet pounded down the wooden steps. The sound caused her to wince as it reignited flickers of pain in her head. She glared as best she could through her pain at John Gilbert and his unfamiliar lackey.

John returned her glare with an insincere grin. "Good to see you're awake, Ms. Chamblee. I missed those pretty green eyes of yours glaring at me while you were out cold."

Emma couldn't respond with a gag in her mouth but her 'pretty green eyes' spoke volumes; of that she was sure. John could read her look as well. "Ooh, ouch. That wasn't very nice." His grin never faltered. He walked over and took her gag off but touched a finger to her lips before she could speak. "Shh, you only answer my questions and speak when you are spoken to. Otherwise TJ here," he jerked a thumb behind him to the lackey, "will rip your throat out." John bent closer to look her right in the eye, all hints of a smile gone. "You're not my family, I don't really care if _you_ live or die."

Emma was certain he meant it. She didn't even have to look at TJ to know that he was a hungry vampire who wouldn't hesitate to have her for dinner. She nodded once to let John know she understood. It didn't stop her from calculating ways to escape in the back of her mind. Currently, her chances seemed slim.

John backed up out of her personal space and smiled again. "Great, now that we understand each other, we have a lot to talk about." Emma merely stared at him, unwilling to respond without being asked a direct question. "Let's just get started with the heart of the matter. You and I don't need to beat around the bush or act like we don't know things. I want to talk about your 'boyfriend,' Damon Salvatore."

Emma pressed her lips together, staring straight ahead. She hadn't been asked a question yet so she didn't answer. She hoped she could make up quick enough believable lies; she was typically a bad liar.

John was continuing. He began rolling up his shirt sleeves as he spoke. "Damon lives in that old boarding house that has many antiques. I'm sure he's shown many off to you; they worth a fortune."

She was expected to answer. In truth, Damon hadn't shown her much beside the library and his bedroom in the boarding house. "He's shown me some books." She replied, her voice a hoarse whisper from disuse.

John winced and shook his head. "No, not just books. I'm sure he's shown you some other things."

What was this guy getting at? She shook her head in response. "He hasn't shown me anything." She insisted.

John frowned. This was not the answer he wanted to hear. Emma bit back the sense of panic that was rising. If he didn't believe her telling the truth there was no way he'd believe anything she lied about. He finished rolling up his sleeves and made to move toward her when Elena made a sound.

Though it hurt every muscle in her body, Emma turned to her friend. "Elena?"

"Don't speak." John pointed a warning finger at her before kneeling before his niece. "Elena, I apologize."

As Elena became aware of what was going on her eyes grew wide and she tried to lean away from the personal space invader that was John. She still had her gag on so she couldn't speak but Emma could tell she was about to go into full on panic attack.

"I'm doing this to save you. Save you both." John turned back to Emma as he spoke. "You don't want this life." His eyes hardened and he looked at Elena again. "I won't let you make this choice."

"That's not for you to decide." Emma hissed before she thought better of it. Faster than she thought humanly possible John backhanded her cheek, snapping her already throbbing head to the side. If she had a free hand she would have rubbed her jaw. As it was, tears welled up in her eyes from the sting.

"That's," John hissed, sticking his nose in her face, "for insubordination. If I want your thoughts, I'll ask for them. Speak out of turn again and you'll get worse. Much worse."

Emma met Elena's wide gaze. John took Elena's gag off but without the threats he had thrown Emma's way earlier. Elena was too stunned to speak anyway. "Now where were we?" He asked as he backed up. "Oh yes, I need information from the two of you. The first thing is a device that Damon has. It's small, it's brass, it looks like a key. I know he's told you about it or show it to you. Where is it?"

Emma had no clue what he was talking about but Elena seemed to show a flicker of recognition. Emma was astonished that her friend actually crookedly smiled at John. "He wears it around his neck on a chain. Good luck getting to that."

Emma stared at her in disbelief. One, she didn't know how Elena knew that and she hadn't ever noticed and two, why would she give that information so easily to John who obviously wanted to hurt the brothers?

John looked perplexed for only a moment. "Perfect, that's easy enough." He walked over and reached toward Emma. She flinched involuntarily but he merely untied her. "I am going to blindfold you and we are going to leave," he began explaining as he helped her to her feet. "Then you are going to find your boyfriend, get the device, and bring it back to me. I don't care how you get it but you are not going to tell him it is for me. You are not going to tell him what I've done. You are simply going to get it and give it. Understand?"

Emma was irritated with herself for being wobbly on her feet and clutching his arm for support. She let go of him in disgust and grabbed the stair rail instead. "And why," she breathed through grit teeth, "would I agree to any of that?"

"Because," John smiled his humorless, bone jarringly frightening smile, "I know you think I won't hurt Elena but I would rather see her dead than end up a vampire. So I am going to take you and I am going to leave TJ here. TJ is very hungry, he hasn't eaten yet today." John grinned at his cohort while Emma and Elena cast him a frightened glance. "If TJ doesn't hear from me by morning, Elena will be his breakfast."

**A/N: Just got a job this week so it's going to be a bit longer between chapters, but I will continue. Review are love!**


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